065 Departure · Five-way Split

  Lin Wan released the two hundred year old Blood Demon, thinking that Yue Qing would definitely not be able to withstand it. Although he looked gentle and kind-hearted, in reality he was ruthless and merciless, and once he made a move, he would aim to kill his enemy. Not satisfied with just releasing two Blood Demons, he joined his hands together and released the Tai Yi Geng Jin Sword Qi, which was forged from the fusion of moonlight and frost on the 15th of every month. The ten sword qi in both hands were all pure white, carrying a vast and murderous aura as they wildly shot towards Yue Qing.

  On the other side, Qian Xiao's hatred for Yue Qing intensified as he retrieved his own Day and Night Golden Cauldron and launched a fierce attack with his flying sword. He also unleashed the Demon-Subduing Great Hand Seal he had learned from the Secret Sect, unleashing over a hundred golden hand seals that completely enveloped Yue Qing, pounding and smashing him mercilessly.

  Yue Qing saw the two attacking fiercely, and with a sudden movement, he transformed into a golden light and flew towards the gate of the main hall. Lin Yuan thought he was afraid and ordered the two Blood Demons to chase after him relentlessly. He himself quickly approached the table and tried to grab the jade box, but his hand passed through the lid as if it were air, only to find that it was just an illusion! When he turned back, he saw that the two Blood Demons had been trapped by two glowing rings around their necks, with five-colored auspicious lights spinning rapidly. The two demon heads let out a mournful cry and howled incessantly. Lin Yuan was shocked and tried to summon the Blood Demons back, but they were restricted by the glowing rings, struggling like wolves on a leash. He then ordered the Blood Demons to change their size, but the glowing rings adapted to the changes as well.

  Yue Qing used the Xuanguang ruler to trap the two demon heads, and flew with them to the entrance of the main hall. He made a grasping motion with his hands, filling his body with the Hunyuan true energy. The five flying swords of Zhitong and Qianxiao would be absorbed if they got close, so the two of them sprayed out true energy, desperately stabilizing their swords to prevent being caught by Yue Qing. However, their control was still unsteady. Yue Qing formed a seal with his hands and shot out a stream of Hunyuan true energy that enveloped Zhitong, rapidly grinding away at the Buddhist light he used for protection. The golden Buddhist light, over a foot thick, quickly thinned out before their eyes.

  Liu Quan fought alone against Tan Gan and Bai Xiao, while Yue Qing fought singly against Lin Yuan, Qian Xiao and Zhi Tong. With two against five, both sides had the upper hand, but Xu Fei Niang never made a move, bringing Hu Shi and Sun Fu to protect Lu Rong Bo, Si Tu Ping and other younger ones standing on one side.

  Fa Yuan hesitated about which side to stand on, when he suddenly saw the Buddha light used by Zhi Tong to protect his body being shattered by Yue Qing's Hunyuan True Qi. Just as he was about to be crushed to death, Fa Yuan shouted: "Yue Shidi, spare him!" Then, he saw Zhi Tong spit out a mouthful of blood and take out a treasure from his bosom, which turned out to be the Twelve Heavenly Spirits' Array left behind by Taiyi Hunyuan's ancestors. This treasure was obtained by Zhi Tong from his master, and once it was unleashed, the consequences would be unimaginable!

  Fa Yuan's feet moved swiftly, and with a loud shout, he commanded: "All of you, stop!" With a flick of his wrist, dozens of red threads shot out. After years of cultivating the Tao, Fa Yuan had mastered the art of flying swords, using them as he pleased. Lin Yuan, Qian Xiao, Yue Qing, Liu Quan, Tan Gan, and Bai Xiao were all simultaneously entangled by over ten red threads each, whether they were flying or thrusting, circling or pointing. Not only did this immobilize their flying swords, but it also forced them to respond with all their might, leaving no time for them to use magic spells.

  Fa Yuan's body flashed and he arrived in front of Zhi Tong, with a swift motion he snatched the Twelve Heavenly Gods' Seal from him, and slapped it onto Zhi Tong's forehead.

  Zhī Tōng's magic was about to be activated, but Fǎ Yuán took advantage of the gap and interrupted it. With his own school's magic, he dispersed the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Axe, and also cut off Zhī Tōng's internal Qi, making him temporarily faint. This treasure is very sinister, even if he successfully casts the spell, he will still lose some of his Yang Shou (life force). Now that it was unsuccessful, his Yang Shou was not damaged, but after waking up, he would still be weak for half a month.

  Fa Yuan is a veteran of the Five Elements Sect. As soon as he made his move, everyone else had to give him face and stopped fighting, dividing into two factions that stood facing each other.

  Fa Yuan stood in the middle: "Disciple Yue, you want to inherit the master's Taoist tradition and revive the great undertaking of Wutai. This older brother supports you, but the three major precepts are unavoidable a bit too strict. Everyone has been used to it for days, and suddenly restrained, I'm afraid everyone can't adapt."

  Yue Qingdao said: "The path of discipline, if lost by a hair's breadth, will differ by a thousand miles. It absolutely cannot be ambiguous in the slightest. Only those who can uphold it are my disciples of Wutai; those who cannot... do not deserve to be my disciples."

  Zhī Tōng angrily said: "In the days when our Master was still alive, he didn't set such strict rules for us."

  Fa Yuan signaled with his eyes for him to keep quiet: "In my opinion, it's better if we return to the seven precepts set by our late master."

  His words were echoed by others, especially Monk Qiuxiao: "Master's seven precepts, no need to say, we will naturally do it ourselves, others set them, hehe."

  "It's because Master had too few rules back then, that you all went out and stirred up trouble, refusing to repent, accumulating more and more grudges. Master wanted to take responsibility for you, but knew he was in the wrong, so he reluctantly went to duel with Emei Sect! In the end, we suffered a crushing defeat. We absolutely cannot repeat the same mistake!" Yue Qing said resolutely.

  Fa Yuan's voice sank: "You say this, are you determined to achieve your Three Sages' Seal Method?"

  Zhī Tōng angrily said: "I won't guard it, what can you do to me?"

  Yue Qingdao said: "If you can't keep it, then please withdraw from the Wutai faction. The sky is vast and the earth is wide, and you can roam freely."

  Qian Xiao's anger reached its peak as he laughed: "We are disciples of Qian Shi, members of the Five Tai Gate. What right do you have to force us to leave?"

  Yue Qingdao said, "If you don't withdraw, you must observe the rules. Otherwise, you will be punished by the law of the land. Those who are extremely evil and refuse to repent, I will have to clean up the sect for my predecessor!"

  "Yue's family! What kind of thing are you!" Zhitong roared, "I won't quit the Five Towers, nor will I follow your rules. Come and clean up the door to let us see!"

  Yue Qing's hands gathered the mixed yuan true energy: "Then I owe you an apology!"

  Fa Yuan hastily blocked him, his heart aching as he said: "Yue Shidi, we've practiced together for hundreds of years, can't you show some face and leave some leeway for everyone?"

  "If I spare your lives today, will Emei Sect spare ours tomorrow? If I don't kill you now, you'll eventually die at the hands of Emei Sect. Rather than letting others 'uphold justice on heaven's behalf', I'd rather take care of this myself and 'clean up our own house' so that Wudang Sect can still save some face."

  "Scoundrel!" Fa Yuan was enraged now, his hand trembling as he pointed at Yue Qing, who couldn't utter a word. He asked Xu Fei Nang again, "Xu Shimei, your status in the Wudang Sect is not ordinary, you'd better speak up."

  "Everyone has been working hard over the years, seeking revenge against Emei Sect. Although I rarely come out of Wuyun Step, I've seen everything you've done. Fa Yuan Shixiong guards Mt. Wutai alone, while Zhitong works hard to manage Ci Yun Temple. Even Long Fei Shidi, who was forced to leave earlier, has been dedicating his heart and soul to cultivating the Yīn Huán Sword in Bai Gu Men. However, Emei Sect continues to grow stronger day by day, while we decline further. I've used the Xiantian Shenjue divination multiple times over the years, but the results have always shown that Emei will prosper and Wutai will perish. It wasn't until Yue Shidi came to find me that the divination changed from 'split' to 'not yet', and eventually turned into a 'dry' hexagram, giving us hope to compete with Emei Sect again! If you all truly want to expand Wutai and avenge Huang Shan, follow Yue Shidi's method, abide by the rules, and cultivate in silence. Otherwise, please leave Wutai. Or else, don't blame my Qinglong Sword for starting a killing spree!"

  After hearing Xu Fei's words, Zhi Tong and Tan Gan burst into a loud scolding. Fa Yuan was deep in thought for a long time, then finally said: "Even if the two of you are right, I still cannot allow everyone to fight each other in this Seven Star Hall." He turned his head to look at several disciples standing behind him, sighed sorrowfully and said: "I'll leave Wutai Mountain to all of you. I will take them to Ci Yun Temple, and we will have a life-and-death battle with Emei Sect in the future! No matter what the outcome is, it's for Master's sake!"

  "Master Uncle, why should we give Wutai Mountain to them? Moreover, the Heavenly Book has been monopolized by them! Master Uncle, you didn't make a move just now, but now there are five of us..."

  Zhī Tōng was speaking, when Fǎ Yuān slapped him on the left cheek: "Shut up! Your master entrusted you to me before he died, and even wanted you to join my sect. Although I didn't agree, you can't disobey my orders! Forget about Wǔ Tái Shān and Tiān Shū, give them to your uncle-in-law, let's go!" He looked at the others, "Are you coming with me?"

  Tan Gan and Bai Xiao saw Fa Yuan about to take away Zhi Tong, leaving only four of them. They were no match for Yue Qing and Liu Quan, who had mostly won against them. This time, if Xu Fei's daughter took action, they would be defeated miserably. Looking at each other, they said in unison: "We are willing to follow Brother Fa Yuan to Ci Yun Temple!"