My Years as a Menace in the Sect

The nine-ringed saber wobbled, and with a loud crash, the rings collided together, the crisp sound piercing into the mist. It then bounced back along the mountain path, striking the stone walls on both sides, and the impact made people's ears tingle.

Qi Mang took another half step forward, his black boots crunching over the pebbles with a sharp crack, shattering half a piece of bluestone into dust. The pressure of a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator was no joke; it felt like an entire mountain was pressing down on his shoulders. Wei Ping'an's knuckles, holding the pot, turned white, his fingertips brushing against the tadpole-like patterns. The outer side of the iron wall was icy cold, but the side touching his skin was already burning hot.

He shuffled his foot back half an inch, the sole of his shoe sinking into the wet mud, staining the sole black. Behind him, Su Yin's breathing faltered, the long whip twirling half a circle in her hand before tightening her grip. Zhang He, still dazed, leaned against her leg, his chest heaving like a tattered piece of paper in the wind, as if he could stop at any moment.

"Hand over the pot, and leave your corpses intact." Qi Mang spoke again, his voice as rough as sandpaper grinding wood. He slung the knife over his shoulder, the scar on his knife pointing diagonally. "Don't wait for me to make a move. The three of you combined aren't enough for me to chop you three times."

Wei Ping'an's eyes darted to both sides. To the left was a steep slope covered with thorny brambles, the vines hanging down so low that the bottom was nowhere in sight. To the right was a crooked grove of low trees, the dark fog seeping into it and obscuring its depths.

The mountain path was blocked in both directions, and Qi Mang stood in the middle like a stone wall reinforced with iron. He licked his chapped lips and tasted a bit of blood, from the cut on his lip earlier.

"Boss Qi has quite the big mouth." He deliberately raised his voice in a nonchalant tone, took a small step forward to block Su Yin behind him, "It's just a broken iron pot. If you want it, come and get it yourself. I'll stand right here and see if you can take it."

Qi Mang laughed, his smile twisting the scar on his face. "You fool." He flicked his wrist, and the nine-ringed saber slashed down with a gust of wind. There were no fancy moves, just heavy and fast strikes.

Before the knife even reached him, the gust of wind stung his face, and Wei Ping'an could even smell the metallic stench of rust mixed with years of blood on the blade. He didn't dare take the hit head-on, instead lunging to the side and slinging the pot across his shoulder. A deafening crash rang in his ears, and Wei Ping'an was sent flying sideways, his back slamming heavily against the stone wall. Pebbles rained down, hitting him head and face. His throat tasted sweet yet metallic; he swallowed twice, but blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his clothes with a dark pattern. The pot was still in his hand; his hand was split open, and blood seeped into the cracks along the rim, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Warmth rushed back up his arm, suppressing the surging blood and even easing the numbness in his bones.

Qi Mang let out a soft "Eh." "This kid's got some skills." He slowly walked forward, carrying his knife, each step he took in the mud feeling like a blow to the heart. "A Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator can withstand one of my strikes. No wonder Qi Kun fell into your hands. This pot is indeed a treasure."

Before he could get close, Su Yin flicked her long whip, which coiled like a black snake around Qi Mang's wrist holding the knife. The tip of the whip was coated with aconite, giving it a matte sheen, and it would cause injury if it grazed him.

Qi Mang didn't even turn his head; with his free left hand, he swiftly grabbed the whip tip. "This little brat dares to brandish knives and sticks in front of me."

With a sudden jerk of his wrist, Su Yin was pulled forward, nearly falling. She gritted her teeth, pulling back until her face turned pale. The wound on her left arm reopened, blood dripping from her sleeve onto the ground in a broken line. "Let go!" Wei Ping'an shouted, grabbing a fist-sized rock from nearby and throwing it. Qi Mang dodged, casually flicking his whip. Su Yin fell to the ground with a muffled groan, unable to get up for a long time.

Wei Ping'an knew perfectly well what was going on. He definitely couldn't win in a fight; there was a world of difference between a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator and a third-level Qi Refining cultivator. Even if ten more came, he wouldn't be enough to defeat them. He couldn't afford to waste time; the longer it dragged on, the easier it would be for the Qi family to surround them.

The only option was to split up. He stared at the knife in Qi Mang's hand, then glanced at the low bushes to his right. The woods were dense and full of trees; Qi Mang, being tall, wouldn't be able to maneuver properly inside. With the pot protecting him, he wouldn't die from taking a few hits. Taking a detour through the woods might allow him to shake them off. Su Yin led Zhang He down the steep slope to the left. Although it was difficult, Qi Mang definitely wouldn't chase them—this man only had eyes for the pot. If he got the Xuanwen Pot, the Qi family patriarch might even pass on the Foundation Establishment technique to him in a moment of joy.

He was quick to make up his mind, and within a few breaths he had decided. He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the pot, deliberately holding it high so that Qi Mang could see it clearly. The bloodstains on the rim of the pot were still wet and glistened with a dark light from the steam.

"You, surnamed Qi, didn't you want the pot?" Wei Ping'an wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, grinning smugly. "Come on, catch up with me, and the pot is yours. What kind of skill is it to hide here and scare women? Is this all the courage you have for a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator?" Without waiting for Qi Mang's reply, he turned and ran into the grove of trees to the right, kicking tree trunks as he ran, causing branches to rustle and leaves to fall to the ground, making a huge commotion. "Hurry up, you little brat! Stop dawdling! Did you just boast about your half-step Foundation Establishment?"

Qi Mang's eyes darkened. He hadn't taken those two women seriously to begin with. It didn't matter if a seriously injured cripple and a half-crippled girl ran away. This pot was the real business. If the Xuanwen Pot that the ancestor had been searching for for half his life really fell into his hands, the position of head of the Qi family would be his for sure in the future.

"You're asking for death." He grabbed his knife and chased after him, his heavy footsteps making the ground tremble, closing the distance in just a few steps. Su Yin lay on the ground watching Wei Ping'an's back disappear into the woods, biting her lip so hard that her nails dug into her palms.

She knew what Wei Ping'an meant: to use herself as bait to save their lives. She couldn't betray his kindness, so she pushed herself up and helped the unconscious Zhang He down the steep slope to the left. Her steps were unsteady, sending pebbles tumbling down the slope, but she walked steadily.

The woods were dense, with branches stretching out haphazardly. Wei Ping'an crouched low as he crawled forward, the pot on his back occasionally slamming against tree trunks with dull thuds. He dared not look back, only hearing the footsteps growing closer behind him, and the sharp sound of blades slicing through the leaves.

Qi Mang was much faster than him; before he had run half a mile, the gust of wind behind him reached his back. "Stop right there!" A palm strike came down, carrying a thick spiritual energy, the wind from the palm slapping his neck until it hurt.

Wei Ping'an couldn't dodge in time, so he could only put the pot behind him and arch his back. With a dull thud like hitting a drum, the huge force traveled through the pot, and Wei Ping'an flew forward, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before finally stopping after hitting a pile of white things.

It was animal bones—massive animal skulls larger than a human, their fangs bared, their dark eye sockets staring skyward. All around were haphazardly piled skeletons, some as large as bears, others as small as rabbits, forming small mountains. The stench of decay mixed with the lingering smell of aged blood assaulted the senses. These were the remains of strange beasts from the mountains, washed down the slope by rainwater, forming a forest of corpses over the years.

Wei Ping'an lay motionless beneath the pile of bones. His back ached as if it were broken, his internal organs felt displaced, and blood kept gushing into his throat. He spat out a large mouthful, splattering onto the leg bones in front of him, a dark red stain. The pot was still pressed against his stomach, its warmth seeping into his veins, keeping him alive.

The footsteps grew closer, and Qi Mang's figure appeared at the edge of the woods, slowly approaching, knife in hand. "Run! Keep running!"

Qi Mang's voice was cruelly mocking, "I thought you were so capable, but you still couldn't withstand one of my palms." He walked to the pile of bones and looked down.

Wei Ping'an held his breath and shrank deeper into the bone gaps. He didn't even have the strength to lift his hand, so he could only move deeper by instinct. The bone fragments dug into his flesh, causing his whole body to convulse in pain. He gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound. Cold sweat mixed with blood flowed down, blurring his vision and dripping silently onto the bone.

Qi Mang didn't immediately come down to search. He whistled, and soon four or five members of the Qi family came running up, panting, carrying knives. "Captain!"

"Search it." Qi Mang pointed his knife at the corpse forest. "That kid is hiding in there. We need to find him alive or dead. If you find a Xuanwen Guotou Gong (a type of martial arts technique), the Ancestor will reward you handsomely."

"Yes!" Several men carrying knives walked down the pile of bones, making a clattering sound as they rummaged through the bones. The rotting ash was thrown up and filled the air, causing people to cough.

"Captain, this place stinks so bad, why would anyone hide here?"

"Stop talking nonsense and search carefully! He took a slap from the captain and can't have gone far." The bones were kicked and rolled around with a thud. Several times, the person's foot was right next to Wei Ping'an's head, just an inch away from kicking him.

Wei Ping'an buried his face in his arms and stopped breathing. His heart was pounding like a drum, afraid that the sound would be too loud and leak out through his bones. A hand pried open a leg bone on the top of his head.

"Captain, there's fresh blood here!" Wei Ping'an's heart jumped into his throat. He gripped a piece of bone fragment tightly, the sharp end of which was facing outwards, intending to make one last desperate attempt.

Just then, a whistle rang out from afar, an emergency signal from the Qi family. "Captain! We've spotted those two women to the east! They're running towards the edge of the formation!" Qi Mang frowned. The two women weren't important, but if they managed to escape the formation and send a message back to the Cangxia Sect, it would be troublesome. The ancestor had just emerged from seclusion, and the blood sacrifice wasn't completely finished yet; leaks were the worst thing that could happen.

He glanced at the forest of corpses again, frowning. "Stop searching!" he shouted. "A half-dead laborer won't last long; he'll just die in there feeding the worms. Go after those two women first. We can't let them escape the light barrier!"

"Yes!" The group climbed up, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Only when he could no longer hear any human voices did Wei Ping'an dare to slowly exhale. All his strength drained instantly; he slumped in his bones, gasping for breath, each inhalation carrying the stench of decay and blood that made him cough violently. He had survived again.

He lay there resting for an unknown amount of time, the pot beneath him radiating warmth that seeped into his flesh and meridians, repairing his damaged internal organs and fractured bones. A tingling itch rose from the broken areas, the pain gradually subsiding, and a wisp of spiritual energy slowly gathered in his dantian, thin yet steady, like a stream swirling around the dantian walls. He tried to move his fingers and could curl them up, then slowly sat up, supporting himself on his bones. His back still ached, but he could now straighten up.

"I owe you another life." He patted the bottom of the pot, his voice hoarse. The pot remained still, its iron surface matte, the patterns deeper than before, as if it had absorbed a lot of blood, a glossy black. Wei Ping'an smiled and looked down to examine his injuries. A large bruise on his back was from the force of the palm strike; his hand was split, and his shoulder was scraped, looking frightening, but thankfully no bones were broken. He was only saved from a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator's palm strike thanks to this pot. He crawled out of the pile of bones, stood on the ground, swayed, and then steadied himself.

Daylight had broken and the fog had thinned, revealing distant mountain peaks. The formation's boundary was to the southeast, and Su Yin and Zhang He ran in that direction, pursued by Qi Mang. They couldn't escape; Qi Mang was a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator, and with one severely injured and the other unconscious, they couldn't shake him off.

Wei Ping'an bit his lip. Should he go back? Going back would mean certain death. But could he just run away like that? He couldn't do it. The girl hadn't abandoned him, so he couldn't abandon her either.

"Damn it, I'm getting worse with age," he cursed himself, slung the pot back over his shoulder, picked up a thick branch to use as a walking stick, and trudged southeast. He avoided the main road, choosing instead dense, thorny paths; the Qi family members would surely be searching the main roads, the side paths were safer. He walked and rested intermittently, leaning against trees to recharge his spiritual energy when it waned, using the warmth from the pot to replenish his strength. He encountered three patrols of Qi family members along the way, but he heard their footsteps beforehand and hid in the bushes, escaping detection.

After walking for two hours, he finally reached the vicinity of the array's boundary. Through a grove of low bamboo, he could see a faint light barrier outside, a grayish-blue veil like a semi-transparent gauze stretching between heaven and earth. Standing beside the light barrier was a person pacing back and forth with a sword in hand; it was a member of the Qi family guarding the pass.

Wei Ping'an crouched behind the bamboo grove, holding his breath and listening intently. The guard appeared to be only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, his breathing steady. A whistle hung from his waist, and he toyed with a restriction token in his hand. He knew he couldn't win a direct confrontation; his spiritual energy had only recovered to thirty percent, and he was still injured. His only option was a sneak attack. He would knock the guard unconscious first, and before Qi Mang returned, he would send Su Yin and the others to deliver the message. Using the bamboo grove as cover, he slowly circled behind the guard. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and silent underfoot. Dew-drenched bamboo leaves dripped coolly down his neck.

The disciple guarding the pass was stretching with his back to him, muttering, "The captain has been gone for so long and still hasn't come back. He can't even catch two half-dead people. He's a complete waste... Once this is over, I'll definitely ask the young master for two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills. Guarding this crappy pass is a godforsaken place." Before he finished speaking, Wei Ping'an moved. He gathered all his spiritual energy in his legs and rushed over in a few steps, smashing his elbow down on the back of the other man's neck.

The man reacted quickly, turning around abruptly at the sound of the wind. Wei Ping'an transformed his elbow into a fist, slamming it into his nose, shattering the bridge of his nose with a crack. The man screamed and reached for the whistle at his waist, but Wei Ping'an wouldn't let him blow it. He grabbed the man's wrist with his left hand and delivered a powerful punch to his stomach with his right. The man doubled over, gasping for breath in pain. Wei Ping'an then raised his leg and kneed him in the chin, causing the man's eyes to roll back and he to fall straight down, unconscious. The whole process was incredibly fast, taking less than three breaths.

Wei Ping'an, panting, crouched down and searched his body, finding half a bag of spirit stones, a bottle of healing medicine, and a bronze token engraved with the Qi family's clan crest, controlling the passage through this light barrier. He stuffed everything into his pocket and looked up at the light barrier; once he stepped over it, the communication talisman would be usable.

Where are Su Yin and the others? He was thinking this when he heard hurried footsteps and a woman's muffled groans in the distance. Wei Ping'an's heart tightened as he peered in that direction. Two figures stumbled towards them—it was Su Yin and Zhang He. Su Yin's whip was broken in half, her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in blood. She was supporting Zhang He, staggering with each step.

Zhang He was in an even worse state; her eyes were closed as if she were lifeless, and she was being dragged along by Su Yin. The blood on her clothes was never dry. Behind them, Qi Mang followed slowly, knife in hand, a sinister grin on his face like a cat hunting mice. "Let's see where you can run."

Su Yin also saw Wei Ping'an by the light screen. Her eyes lit up for a moment, then turned pale again. "Wei Ping'an! Go! Don't worry about us!" she shouted, her voice cracking and trembling with tears.

Wei Ping'an didn't leave, standing by the light screen, clutching the restriction token tightly. Qi Mang also saw him, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You're tough, you survived my palm strike. Saves me the trouble of digging up your body and finding a scapegoat."

He walked forward step by step, his nine-ringed saber jingling loudly, each step sinking into the wet mud. Su Yin, supporting Zhang He, ran to Wei Ping'an's side, panting and unable to speak, blood still seeping from the corner of her mouth. "Why aren't you leaving..."

"We'll go together." Wei Ping'an stuffed the restriction token into her hand; it was ice-cold to the touch of her fingertips. "You take Zhang He and go activate the gap in the light curtain first. I'll hold him off for a while."

"No!" Su Yin immediately shook her head and pushed the token back. "You can't stop him! Half-step Foundation Establishment... Let's think of a way together."

"If we dawdle any longer, all three of us will die here." Wei Ping'an pushed them towards the light screen, his voice urgent. "Once we're there, immediately signal for sect reinforcements as soon as possible. I have a pot, I won't die."

Qi Mang had already walked ten steps away, not in a hurry to make a move, but watching the show with his arms crossed: "Is the performance over? If it's over, then leave them all here. Hand over the Xuanwen Pot, and send the woman back to the Ancestor as a blood sacrifice offering. As for you..." He stared at Wei Ping'an, his smile cruel and his scar contorted, "I'll tear your bones off one by one and see why you're so tough." Wei Ping'an ignored him, took off the black pot from his back, held it in his hands, and stepped forward, completely protecting Su Yin and Zhang He behind him.

His back was to the light screen, and in front of him stood Qi Mang, a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator. Mist, carrying a faint smell of blood, surged towards him, seeping over his feet. The warmth from the pot rose from his palms, and the Qi in his dantian spun wildly, even more rapidly than when he broke through to the third level of Qi Induction. He knew he couldn't hold them off; he could only hold them off for as long as possible. As long as Su Yin and the others crossed over and the news got out, his efforts wouldn't have been in vain.

"Let's go!" he shouted without turning his head, his voice not loud but steady.

Su Yin bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. She knew this wasn't the time to be sentimental; every second of delay increased the danger. She helped Zhang He turn and walk towards the light screen. The restriction token in her hand glowed faintly, and a narrow gap slowly opened in the light screen, just big enough for two people to pass through.

Qi Mang's eyes turned cold: "Trying to leave? No way!" He raised his knife and slashed straight at Wei Ping'an. He used all his strength to slash, and the blade was wrapped in light gray spiritual energy. The sound of the nine rings was ear-piercing, and even the surrounding mist was split open by the wind from the knife, revealing a clear trace of energy.

Wei Ping'an took a deep breath, lifted the pot with both hands, and charged forward. A deafening crash shook the entire bamboo grove, causing bamboo leaves to fall in a rustling sound. Wei Ping'an slid back several meters, his shoes carving two deep furrows in the mud, until his back was only half a step away from the gap in the light barrier. His arms trembled violently, reopening the laceration on his hand, blood trickling down the edge of the pot. But he didn't fall; he gritted his teeth, holding the pot horizontally in front of him like an unyielding wall.

"Interesting." Qi Mang narrowed his eyes, his smile fading slightly. "I'd like to see how many you can withstand."

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed three consecutive slashes, each heavier and faster than the last. Wei Ping'an gritted his teeth and took the blows head-on. The three muffled thuds sounded like heavy hammers striking iron. With each slash, he took a step back, and with each step, the mud beneath his feet sank three inches.

After the third cut, his back was pressed against the light screen, the faint light from the cut warming his back. He could no longer hold back the blood in his throat, spitting it out with a "pfft," splashing onto the pot and seeping in along the patterns. Suddenly, the tadpole-shaped patterns on the pot's rim lit up, not with the previous faint light, but with a deep, dark gold light swirling around the patterns, as if something inside the pot had awakened.

A surge of warmth rushed into his body through his palm, instantly filling his previously empty dantian with spiritual energy, making it even more abundant than in its prime.

Wei Ping'an was stunned for a moment, and Qi Mang was also stunned. He stared at the pot with greed in his eyes that was almost overflowing: "Mystic Pattern Pot... It's actually an awakened Mystic Pattern Pot! We've struck it rich... We've really struck it rich this time!" He rushed over like a madman, raised his knife high, and chopped down with all his might, even mobilizing all the spiritual energy around him, and the air around the blade was distorted by the shock.

"Come here!" Wei Ping'an's meridians swelled from the force surging from the pot. He didn't know how to activate it, so he could only instinctively push the pot forward. A black light shot out from the pot, not thick but extremely stable, like a black pillar crashing into the blade.

With a snap, the nine-ringed sword broke in two, half of the blade flying off and embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk, vibrating and humming. The black light continued its trajectory, striking Qi Mang in the chest. Qi Mang let out a scream and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground. A section of his chest caved in, and blood gushed from his mouth mixed with shattered internal organs.

He tried to get up twice, supporting himself on the ground, but failed. He could only glare fiercely at Wei Ping'an, his eyes filled with fear and hatred: "Impossible... You're only at the third level of Qi Refining... How is this possible..."

Wei Ping'an wasn't feeling well either; that sudden movement felt like all the strength had been drained from his body. The power surging from the pot came and went quickly, leaving his dantian feeling even emptier than before. He swayed and almost fell, quickly using the pot to steady himself. The pot moved on its own, not him; he didn't have that ability.

"No...don't come any closer!"

He panted, pretending he still had energy left. "Come any closer and I'll blast you to smithereens." Qi Mang stared at him with uncertain eyes. He could tell that this kid was at his limit. That last blow had already exhausted him. But the power of the Xuanwen Pot was undeniable. If it hit him again, he would be dead.

While they hesitated, Su Yin had already helped Zhang He to the edge of the gap in the light curtain, just one step away from stepping through. "Wei Ping'an! Come here quickly!" Su Yin called back.

Wei Ping'an responded and slowly backed away, supporting himself with the pot, his eyes fixed on Qi Mang as if afraid he would suddenly pounce. Just as he reached the edge of the gap and was about to step over it, Qi Mang suddenly laughed, a sinister laugh.

"Do you really think you can escape?" He pulled out a black token from his pocket and crushed it. "The ancestor has ordered all gaps to be sealed! Let's see where you can run!" The moment his words fell, the gaps on the light screen suddenly began to shrink, as if an invisible hand was squeezing them in the middle.

Su Yin's expression changed drastically, and she pushed Zhang He towards the exit. Wei Ping'an also stepped forward, but he was still a beat too slow. The instant the gap completely closed, Su Yin and Zhang He were halfway out and half still stuck inside, bounced back by the light barrier and crashed heavily to the ground. Wei Ping'an was also bounced back and landed hard in the mud.

The light curtain returned to its original state, perfectly sealed without a single crack. The gray-blue light wall stood in front of me like an insurmountable barrier.

Qi Mang slowly stood up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and smiled smugly: "I'd like to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

He walked over step by step, threw the broken sword on the ground, and held a short dagger in his hand. "The Xuanwen Pot is mine, and your lives are mine too." Wei Ping'an stood up, supporting himself with the pot, and protected Su Yin and Zhang He behind him. The three of them were seriously injured, while the opponent was a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator who was injured but still had the ability to fight.

With nowhere to retreat, the light barrier sealed off a dead end behind them. Wei Ping'an's knuckles turned white as he held the pot, the warmth inside slowly seeping out, not keeping up with the rate at which it was being consumed. Qi Mang drew closer, his short dagger gleaming coldly. Just then, from a distance outside the light barrier, came the sharp sound of a flying sword piercing the air, very soft yet very clear. A streak of azure sword light pierced through the clouds and was heading this way.

Qi Mang's expression changed, and he looked up at the light screen, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. Wei Ping'an also heard it, and just as a glimmer of hope rose in his heart, he saw Qi Mang grit his teeth and his eyes turn fierce.