Chapter 42: The Price of Righteousness

“Blood Elder…”

Qin Yangjun’s fury had considerably quelled after his recent recovery.

His murderous intent towards the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed had also significantly diminished.

The scene before him left him utterly bewildered.

A ravaged battlefield, the half-paralyzed Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed, and the Blood Elder, who should by all rights not have been there.

“Wait!”

‘According to the book, the Blood Elder was supposed to have been transferred by the main sect, but now, due to his interference, the Myriad Dharma Heavenly Sect had already been annihilated.’

‘Thus, there was no one left to give him orders.’

‘Damn it! Why hadn’t he considered this at the time?!’

His gaze then drifted to Yueyao and her group, as well as the ordinary mortals watching from a distance.

“They’re all still alive, then…”

Qin Yangjun murmured with a hint of melancholy, recalling how in the book, these ordinary people had all become “cultivation materials.”

Qin Yangjun’s words also reached the Blood Elder’s ears.

He glanced at the mortals, then at Qin Yangjun, and a sudden realization dawned on him as to why this young man had instigated the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed to fight him.

“Hahaha….”

He burst into maniacal laughter, then pointed at the mortals who were spectating.

“Ridiculous! Truly ludicrous! Qin Yangjun! I never imagined you could be so naive! They are nothing more than a pile of flesh and blood stepping stones! Is it truly worth paying such a price for them?!”

‘Qin Yangjun: ………..’

The Blood Elder’s deranged demeanor, however, utterly baffled Qin Yangjun.

‘Had this old geezer lost his mind from fighting? What gibberish was he spouting?’

“Qin Yangjun!”

The Blood Elder’s crimson eyes glared fixedly at Qin Yangjun.

“I concede this defeat to you, young man! However, a tree that stands tallest in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind! Such an ostentatious individual will inevitably attract unwanted attention, and when that time comes…”

Before the Blood Elder could finish his pronouncement, an enormous ethereal spirit sword descended from the sky, startling him into hastily channeling his spiritual energy to resist it.

The sword’s tip collided with the Blood Elder’s spiritual energy, generating a wave of force.

Qin Yangjun instinctively raised a hand to block, and the next instant, a familiar voice resonated beside him:

“When that time comes… whatever happens will no longer concern you.”

The Grand Elder had appeared beside Qin Yangjun without a sound.

With a flick of his sleeve,

the colossal sword exploded into a shower of blades.

This torrent of swords instantly pierced through the spiritual energy defense, riddling the Blood Elder’s body like a sieve.

After obliterating the Blood Elder’s physical form, the Grand Elder formed a claw with one hand, and a powerful suction force condensed within his grasp.

In the next moment, a miniature, transparent version of the Blood Elder appeared in his hand.

Qin Yangjun knew this was the Blood Elder’s primordial spirit.

To witness a mighty cultivator of the Cavernous Void (TL Note: A cultivation realm) stage perish in the blink of an eye felt truly surreal.

Having dealt with the Blood Elder, the Grand Elder then turned his attention to the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed, noticing the yellow aura on its body slowly dissipating.

“You truly are generous, to have actually fed a Sky Sovereign Dragon Spirit Pill (TL Note: A powerful spiritual pill) to this beast.”

‘As expected of a cultivator in the Mahayana (TL Note: A high cultivation realm) stage, their insight is truly sharp.’

‘He probably guessed what I was trying to do. This is a case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, “tou ji bu cheng shi ba mi,” meaning to try to gain something by trickery but end up losing more than one gained.).’

‘How embarrassing.’

‘However, some matters needed to be clarified, lest he be branded a spendthrift.’

“Grand Elder, you’ve misunderstood. At that time…”

Just as Qin Yangjun was about to explain, Yueyao stepped beside him and quickly interjected:

“Master, you’ve misunderstood Senior Brother. He only thought of this method to save those mortals.”

‘Qin Yangjun: What?’

‘Save mortals?’

‘This method?’

‘What method?’

“Master, if Senior Brother hadn’t thought of using the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed to hold back the Blood Elder, these people would likely have become human elixirs (TL Note: Humans used as ingredients for pills). Miss Ling can also attest to this.”

Hearing Yueyao’s words, the group couldn’t help but look at Ling Hu’er, who was examining the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed’s injuries.

‘In truth, Ling Hu’er knew nothing of any plan.’

‘But upon careful consideration, even if Qin Yangjun had intentions of taming the Icefire Jade-Scaled Steed, he wouldn’t have fed it a Sky Sovereign Dragon Spirit Pill.’

‘Beast Kings are inherently proud; to tame one, one’s strength must surpass its own.’

‘Not to mention how rare the Sky Sovereign Dragon Spirit Pill is, feeding it such a power-enhancing elixir would only increase the difficulty for himself. No sane person would do that.’

‘After much thought, it seemed that Yueyao’s explanation was the only plausible one.’

“I admit, he did a decent job, but merely decent! He’s still far from matching Ruoqing.”

Liu Ruoqing (TL Note: A female prodigy and leader), the current Heart Sovereign of Heart-Seeking Villa (TL Note: A renowned sect), a contemporary prodigy, and also considered Ling Hu’er’s closest friend.

She was a true genius, her strength having already reached the Nascent Soul (TL Note: A cultivation realm) stage, far surpassing her peers.

‘Ling Hu’er mentioning her was likely just her being stubborn, unwilling to acknowledge Qin Yangjun’s capabilities.’

The disciples of Beast King Valley also recognized this, and several of them smiled helplessly.

‘It seemed their Senior Sister’s personality would never change.’

At this, the Grand Elder cast a helpless glance at his disciple.

“Yao’er, I haven’t even finished speaking. I heard everything the Blood Elder said before his death. I have never doubted Jun’er’s capabilities; he has a very profound mind, however…”

The Grand Elder suddenly shifted his tone, looking at Qin Yangjun:

“Having a profound mind is never a bad thing. We cultivators of the righteous path should make it our duty to eliminate evil, defend the Dao, and protect the common people. What you did this time was truly exceptional. A pill that can save lives is a true spiritual elixir, and you have certainly maximized the efficacy of this Sky Sovereign Dragon Spirit Pill. I’m sure the Sect Master will also be very pleased.”

The Grand Elder’s eyes were filled with approval, and the young women from Beast King Valley cast admiring glances.

Even Yueyao, who typically remained aloof, looked at Qin Yangjun with a noticeably softer gaze.

Only Ling Hu’er let out a soft huff, turning her head away with a proud expression.

Qin Yangjun felt a touch of embarrassment under the collective gaze of the group.

‘So I was a great philanthropist… How did I not know this?’

‘Never mind, as long as I didn’t make a fool of myself.’

“Alright, you all can head back first. Someone will arrive to handle things here shortly. Hu’er, you should also come with us to Yuqian Sect. If we were to simply take this Beast King back like this, your Master would surely grumble about our incompetence, so we shall take charge of this Beast King’s treatment.”

Having said this, the Grand Elder subtly winked at Yueyao, who stood nearby.

Qin Yangjun inadvertently caught sight of this, and was utterly astonished.

‘Truly, he was an old fox.’

‘The meaning behind that look, Qin Yangjun didn’t even need to guess.’

The disciples from Beast King Valley nearby seemed to realize something, their expressions turning hesitant.

“There’s no need for that,” one of them said. “Our Master is still waiting for us to report back.”

Ling Hu’er, however, lifted her head at that moment.

“Go! Why wouldn’t we go? We absolutely must!”

Although it was an unfortunate situation, this Beast King had ended up like this because of Qin Yangjun.

Therefore, in Ling Hu’er’s eyes, their offer of treatment was entirely reasonable.

“Senior Sister…”

Someone else tried to persuade her, but Ling Hu’er made her decision final.

“Say no more. I am the Senior Sister; if I say we go, then we go!”

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