Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 266 Return of the property to its original owner
The disciples of Dongyuan Sect were no exception; led by Foundation Establishment cultivators, they traveled to various places with their junior brothers and sisters.

Yuwen Yao, Han Yuan, Kong You, and others were responsible for perimeter security and area cleanup.

Surprisingly, Gu Qingqing, such a gentle and frail girl, volunteered to join the team searching for and collecting the remains.

Perhaps they wanted to find Yang Yuerong's remains.

However, the collapse of the formation on Dragon Pool Mountain unleashed a destructive force that ordinary cultivators could not withstand.

There weren't many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Yang family, and they were too slow to react. Under that level of power, countless of them would probably be reduced to ashes.

For these cultivators, clearing up a pile of ruins doesn't take long, and the repair work was soon coming to an end.

On a secluded high slope, outside the original site of the Yang family.

Song Yan possessed the body, sword energy flowing between his fingers, carving something on a bluestone slab.

Stone chips flew everywhere, and gravel dust fell in a flurry.

A short while later, a simple little stele had taken shape.

There is no lengthy epitaph, only three characters: Yang Yuerong.

To be honest, he didn't have a very deep connection with this girl.

It was after I had just experienced the Silent Valley incident and mastered the Cloud Sword that I met him in the Yanran Mountains by the Lingyuan Marsh.

He casually saved her and two companions, and Song Yan himself didn't quite remember it.

It wasn't until we met again at the restaurant on New Year's Eve that I remembered.

I met her once a few days ago in Diequan Market, where Gu Qingqing mentioned her background and the Yang family's centennial memorial ceremony.

To this day, this ordinary little girl remains only a vague shadow in his memory.

Now even the body cannot be found.

However, at this moment, the shadow was unusually clear.

She was like herself in the past, struggling for even a single spirit stone.

Ordinary, unassuming, and striving to survive.

They endured suffering, but no one was interested in them; from birth to death, they would not appear in any part of history.

The general public, countless people.

Ordinary people cannot attain true freedom.

Perhaps separation by life and death is the true nature of the cultivation world...

No, it should be said that this is the norm in this world.

Song Yan remained silent as he carefully and neatly inserted the small stone tablet into the ground.

The stone tablet was small, appearing even smaller and more desolate in the face of the vast ruins, but at this moment, it stood out conspicuously before Song Yan's eyes.

Just then, a figure slowly approached.

Gu Qingqing stopped in her tracks in front of the tombstone.

Looking at the name on the small tombstone, I felt completely drained and dazed.

Tears could no longer be held back and flowed freely.

There was no loud crying, just trembling all over, tears falling silently, and blurred vision.

Song Yan did not turn around and remained standing still.

Junior Sister Qingqing must be the one who is most heartbroken and saddened...

After a long while, Gu Qingqing wiped away her tears with her sleeve, walked to Song Yan's side, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looking at the stone tablet and ruins.

Song Yan turned around and gently patted her shoulder.

Without saying a word, he simply left quietly.

Gu Qingqing was left alone to face the small monument and the vast ruins, speaking softly.

He was always taciturn when it came to matters of life and death.

Whether in his previous life on Earth or in his current life after time travel, Song Yan is a sunny and cheerful person.

He only became somewhat taciturn when his grandfather passed away.

Only in front of Xiaohe or Shengnian can he open his heart and talk more.

For Gu Qingqing, Yang Yuerong must be just that kind of character.

There are two places that were most severely destroyed by the demonic cultivators: Longtan Mountain and the Yang clan's territory.

In other areas, there was basically no impact.

After resting, Song Yan returned to his cave.

In the following days, the disciples of the six major sects continued to stay and cultivate on Dragon Pool Mountain, awaiting instructions from their sects.

In the past few days, a rogue cultivator even came to visit.

This man wore an ordinary dark blue Taoist robe, had an average appearance, and his eyes revealed a sense of alertness and fear.

His cultivation level was around the late stage of Qi Refining, and his breathing was somewhat rapid and unstable.

Song Yan was in seclusion, so Xiao Ju naturally met with him.

"Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?"

"May I ask, is this Senior Song Yan's cave dwelling?"

"Indeed, my name is Ju Luyi." Little Ju nodded. "Master is currently in seclusion. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Upon hearing this, the rogue cultivator looked at Xiao Ju with a hint of envy and said politely, "Fellow Daoist, my name is Chen Dongfeng, a local rogue cultivator."

"I apologize for disturbing Senior Song Yan's peaceful cultivation. It is because... it is because I have an important item to return."

"Return it?"

Xiao Ju was puzzled.

Since the chaos caused by the demonic cultivators, there have been far fewer visitors to Master's place. It is quite strange that a strange rogue cultivator suddenly appeared and said he wanted to "return" the item.

However, she still dutifully asked, "What should we return?"

Chen Dongfeng took out a Qiankun bag from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Ju.

“I dare not claim credit for this. Yesterday, while clearing the outer perimeter of Longtan Mountain on the orders of Senior Jiang, I happened to find this item a hundred miles away.”

Chen Dongfeng spoke with a refined, scholarly air.

Perhaps he had studied the classics for several years before entering the Taoist path.

"On that day, on the ruins of the Yang family, Senior Song Yan's sword struck with astonishing force, slaying the young master of the Yang family who colluded with the demonic path. This is his Qiankun Bag."

Xiao Ju blinked; she remembered.

After Song Yan returned to the manor that day, he mentioned the matter to her. His master had spoken lightly of it, only saying that he had encountered two demonic cultivators and one of them had escaped.

It wasn't until later, through the words of those who came to visit, that they learned the full story, and their admiration for Song Yan grew even stronger.

At the time, Song Yan was busy with the clearing and repair of Longtan Mountain and did not retrieve the Qiankun Bag immediately. Later, he forgot about it.

Back in the cave, I brought up the matter with her.

He said that if someone came to deliver the Qiankun Bag, he should accept it on his behalf.

In fact, Xiao Ju herself secretly searched the area later, but couldn't find it. It must have been picked up by the cleaning team.

Master is truly a genius; he even foresaw this in advance…

Won't someone find it and then embezzle it?
Their gazes fell on Chen Dongfeng, who was clearly intimidated by his master's formidable reputation.

That's exactly the case.

Chen Dongfeng originally thought he had made a fortune after picking up the item and wanted to keep it all for himself.

However, once the bag was opened, many of the items inside indicated that the owner of this magical bag was "Yang Kaijun".

That is, the demonic cultivator who was killed by Song Yan with a single sword strike from a distance of a hundred miles away.

"Finish!"

The sky is falling!

Just thinking about the power of that sword strike sent a chill down Chen Dongfeng's spine.

Even before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, this Senior Song Yan was already infamous. Rumor has it that several years ago, he repeatedly slaughtered a disciple of the Xuan Yuan Sect in full view of everyone.

The title of "Killer Star" is not just a casual remark.

A few days ago, the appearance of that sword caused the sea of ​​clouds to surge and the terrifying scene of the celestial city in the sky, which earned him the title of Sword Immortal in the Clouds.

Chen Dongfeng was working non-stop, delivering goods to people's doors, afraid of being held accountable if he was late.

"Fellow Daoist Ju, uh..."

At this moment, Chen Dongfeng looked somewhat uneasy.

"I beg Fellow Daoist Ju to explain to Senior Song on my behalf that I have not touched anything in this Qiankun Bag."

"The restriction was removed and the door opened only to confirm the identity."

"Oh... okay." Xiao Ju nodded. "Okay, I will report everything to Master."

"Where do you live? In case Master needs to find you."

Chen Dongfeng felt as if he had been granted a pardon, thinking to himself that it seemed that Senior Song Yan's disciple was easy to talk to.

He quickly reported his temporary lodgings, and then secretly took out a heavy bag of spirit stones from his Qiankun bag and handed it to Xiao Ju.

"Huh?" Xiao Ju didn't understand what this person was doing, and took the Qiankun bag along with her, full of doubt...

"It's just a small token of my appreciation."

After saying this, Chen Dongfeng bowed and then disappeared into the rain as if fleeing, as if every extra moment was torture.

"..."

Xiao Ju stared blankly at the two bags in her hands, lost in thought.

She closed the cave's protective barrier, walked to the quiet room outside where Song Yan was cultivating, and without disturbing him, placed both bags in the most conspicuous position on the stone table in the outer room, carefully covering them with a clean silk handkerchief.

A small jade slip was left beside it: "Please open this when Master emerges from seclusion. Xiao Ju."

In the quiet room, Song Yan remained immersed in comprehending the essence of swordsmanship.

Like a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water, it is infinitely mysterious, ever-changing between reality and illusion, and infinitely sharp.

That day, when the sword was drawn, it was the first time that Song Yan truly felt the power of that sword intent.

This is truly worthy of the title of sword cultivator, invincible among those of the same realm.

If, at the moment of unleashing the sword intent, the Purple Qi Merging with the Void True Technique is also used...

What kind of scene will it be?

Two days later, Song Yan temporarily left the pass.

Xiao Ju is also in seclusion, and Xiao He has disappeared somewhere.

His gaze fell on the Qiankun bag and small cloth bag on the stone table, as well as the jade slip left by Xiao Ju next to them.

Picking up the jade slip, he scanned it with his divine sense, and Xiao Ju's childish voice rang in his mind, concisely explaining the whole story.

A local rogue cultivator named Chen Dongfeng found Yang Kaijun's Qiankun bag while clearing the surrounding ruins.

He dared not keep it for himself and returned it voluntarily.

It was also mentioned that this person only opened the Qiankun bag to confirm his identity, and did not dare to touch any of the items inside.

The thirty spirit stones were a gift from the other party, and Xiao Ju explained everything clearly.

Song Yan chuckled.

He knew in his heart that what this rogue cultivator feared was not the moral obligation of returning the item to its rightful owner.

Rather, it was the ruthless methods Song Yan displayed when he killed the demonic cultivators, and the formidable power of the Dongyuan Sect.

That's fine, saves me the trouble of making the trip myself.

After a moment's hesitation, he temporarily accepted the Qiankun Bag.

He slowly walked out of the cave and headed towards Elder Zhang Guangyuan's residence.

Elder Zhang has summoned all the cultivators of Dongyuan Sect together today, presumably to discuss important matters.

Perhaps, the matter of Longtan Mountain should come to an end.

When Song Yan arrived, Zhang Guangyuan and Yang Wenxuan were already discussing matters.

In addition, there were Xu Ziqing and four other Foundation Establishment disciples from the previous generation. It seems that he was the first among the new generation to arrive.

Yang Wenxuan glanced at Song Yan with a slight upward tilt of his head, a hint of coldness hidden in his eyes.

Song Yan sat down next to the three true disciples and quietly waited for the other disciples to arrive.

Before long, everyone had arrived.

Elder Zhang Guangyuan slowly began, “The main reason I’ve gathered everyone here today is to discuss the Dragon Pool Mountain gathering. I’ll keep it brief.”

"The Longtan Mountain Gathering will probably not be held again."

"According to the instructions of several other Golden Core cultivators, the Demon Ruins cultivators have already invaded several countries in the border region at the same time."

“In the northwest of our Chu Kingdom, many small sects and even a few scattered settlements of cultivators have all been transformed into the base of the Demon Ruins overnight.”

Upon hearing this, the disciples present all changed color.

For most people in the cultivation world of Chu, the cultivators of the Demon Ruins were still a distant concept.

In the history of the cultivation world in the Chu Kingdom, similar events occur every few hundred years.

The few Golden Core cultivators still alive today may have experienced the last invasion of the Demonic Ruins.

However, to date, the Demon Ruins has not been able to gain a foothold.

No one believed that the Demonic Path would succeed this time. However, when one is personally involved in such a major historical event, it is inevitable to feel panic or excitement.

Song Yan glanced at Lin Qing almost imperceptibly and found that the other person was also looking at him.

"The Chu Kingdom is mainly inhabited by demonic cultivators from two lineages: the Demonic Path and the Yellow Springs Path."

Zhang Guangyuan continued, "This time, we will immediately return to the sect to report. Some of you may be sent to the front lines to provide support and defense."

Everyone was shocked.

"These matters will be handled by the sect's elders upon our return. However, apart from that..."

Zhang Guangyuan pondered for a moment, his gaze lingering on Song Yan and Li Yi: "Upon investigation, the Hu family of Longtan Mountain has been found to be in cahoots with demonic cultivators, resulting in the tragic deaths of countless innocent cultivators."

"Among the nine-meridian cultivators, at least two Foundation Establishment cultivators and five late-stage Qi Refining cultivators should be retained to participate in the accountability process."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow.

Hu's family...

It's called accountability, but it's actually a purge.

A family of cultivators who colludes with demonic cultivators—if they were to be purged, they would likely be slaughtered along with their entire family.

Righteous cultivators have no tolerance for this.

"I just discussed this matter with Elder Yang Wenxuan."

Yang Wenxuan nodded: "Although the competition was interrupted, our Dongyuan Sect cultivators have still managed to show their talent in the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world."

He looked at Song Yan with a kind gaze, completely in the manner of an elder encouraging a younger generation: "Especially Song Yan."

"Therefore, after consideration, I think it is appropriate to let Elder Xu Ziqing and Song Yan stay and participate in the liquidation of the Hu family."

"Xu Ziqing is both a disciple and an elder, which makes it convenient for him to direct the other disciples."

"Song Yan can take this opportunity to exchange ideas with the outstanding peers of other sects, and also gain experience under Elder Xu."

"As for the five Qi Refining Realm cultivators, you can decide for yourselves."

Song Yan's eyes flickered, wondering what Yang Wenxuan was up to.

It can be said that the incident at the cave dwelling had already created a personal feud between him and Yang Wenxuan even before the Sword-Touching Tournament had ended.

The fact that Song Yan rejected his recommendation before the competition made him realize that this person was no longer compatible with him.

He wanted to leave, but deliberately made himself stay.

doing what?
Looking into Yang Wenxuan's eyes, Song Yan vaguely sensed a murderous intent.

(End of this chapter)