Chapter 221: Sect Mascot
“Lord, please take the throne.” Lin Yu courteously guided her to the highest seat.
There were three seats aligned together up above, and they had always been the seats of the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns. Zhu Yao did not reject their courtesy either, and directly sat on the seat at the very center. However, with her taking that seat, the other three Sovereigns did not have the nerve to be seated at the same level as her. Thus, the Sect Master and the three Nascent Soul practitioners sat on the seats a level lower, while the remaining Azoth elders and a portion of the elite disciples either sat or stood behind their own masters.
A large half of the people in the hall had never seen this Demigod before, so naturally, they were extremely curious of the matter of her entering Blue Parasol Sect with a concealed identity. Though they did not dare to inquire about the matter in the open, the eyes they had towards Zhu Yao were more or less filled with curiosity.
This was especially so for Lin Xiang who tagged along behind Lin Yu, her present emotions were plastered on her face. Ever since a moment ago, her face was filled with shock as she stared straight at Zhu Yao, and she seemed to have not regained her senses yet either.
Sect Master Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, but for the interests of the sect, he had no choice but to ask with a thick skin. “I wonder what plans Lord has for the future?”
Zhu Yao shook her head. “Nothing for now!” Regarding Yi Ling’s bug, she did not know what was going on either. She could only take things a step at a time.
Hearing this, Lin Yu’s face turned joyous, as he excitedly stood up. “If Lord doesn’t mind it, you can always stay in our sect. Though my Blue Parasol Sect is said to be a small sect, it can still be considered as a blessed land. Furthermore, we have a large number of disciples. If Lord has any matters that need to be taken care of, you can always instruct the disciples, and they will follow your instructions without any hesitation.”
These words of his sounded very sincere, as though he was extremely afraid that she wouldn’t agree to his proposal.
“It’s not that I can’t.” She initially had no plans on leaving anyway.
Lin Yu instantly became excited, as he persuaded her even harder than before. “If Lord plans to stay in my sect for a long period of time, it will naturally be a great blessing for Blue Parasol Sect. Lin, I, am not gifted, but I am willing to represent this lowly sect to bestow Lord the title of Grand Ancestral Master. I wish that Great Ancestral Master will be willing to watch over my sect, and give pointers to our disciples so that they can witness the Heavenly Dao.”
“Ah?” What was this Grand Ancestral Master thing about?
Lin Yu however did not care if she understood the content, and instead respectfully bowed down in front of her, a bow with all five of his joints touching the ground. “This disciple Lin Yu greets Great Ancestral Master.”
“…” Was he forcefully selling things to her?
This bow of his seemed to have clicked something similar to a play button, as the disciples behind him began to kneel down one after another as well, and they then shouted in unison. “Grand Ancestor.”
Even the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns bent their bodies and shouted. “Ancestral Master.”
Zhu Yao who was referred to as an ancestor: “…”
Why did she feel that she had instantly grown many years older?
Was this driving a duck onto a perch?
She finally understood what kind of ploy Lin Yu had planned. He wanted to have her forever reside in Blue Parasol Sect, and raise her as a mascot for the sect. In the entire cultivation world, she was the only Demigod on the surface. In this world where strength was fancied the most, it meant that whichever sect was able to rein her in, that sect would instantly be elevated to the most powerful deity sect.
Furthermore, she had once admitted into Blue Parasol Sect. No matter if it’s for fame or benefits, it’s basically impossible for Blue Parasol Sect to give up on a living signboard like her. However, given her strength, it was definite that there wouldn’t be anyone who could match her. So, he thought of this method of giving her an incredibly peerless status, in order for her to stay willingly. And in order to do so, he unhesitantly let go of his pride as a Sect Master, and threw away whatever face he had, all to elevate her status even more.
Though it had to be said that he sure was going all out, he was indeed very suitable as a Sect Master. He was decisive, knew when to pull back and push forward at the right times, and furthermore, in times like this he was capable of viewing the big picture and thus make the most suitable decision. Zhu Yao had some level of admiration for him now.
Zhu Yao waved her sleeves to form a gust of wind, instantly pulling up all the people on the ground. “No need for courtesy. I still do not have the intentions of leaving this place, so if its matters like protecting you people during my stay here, I don’t see any problems.” Zhu Yao honestly said.
She came to Blue Parasol Sect for the bug. In these few years, though she had been attacked by Yu Ling’s words, both in public and in private, and thus had a pile of aggro pushed onto her, she had not suffered any sort of actual harm. Though she hated Yi Ling, she only hated Yi Ling herself, and not the entire Blue Parasol Sect.
She had clearly separated these two entities, and she wouldn’t direct anger on the entire sect just because of a single person’s mistakes. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be different from those people who exact vengeance on society just because of personal reasons.
When she joined Blue Parasol Sect back then, she was merely a normal disciple, and what Blue Parasol Sect gave her was the level of care and protection designated for a regular disciple as well. Strictly speaking, they did not ill-treat her, and instead because of her relationship with Yue Ying, she was given a certain degree of convenience.
What reason did she have to say no then?
Lin Yu’s pair of eyes instantly shone, as though he had never expected that she would actually be this cooperative.
“But…” Zhu Yao’s tone changed. “If there comes a day where I have intentions of leaving, you people can’t stop me.” Everything had an exception, and no one could know what would happen in the future. Taking residence in Blue Parasol Sect could be done, but if they were to go too far, then she wouldn’t hold back either.
“But of course.” Lin Yu understood her intentions, and nodded with a smile, his entire face was filled with excitement from obtaining a resident mascot. Though it seemed the expressions of the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns were not aligned with everyone else. Xuan Xu particularly had strained brows, looking as though he had something to say, but was desperately holding it in.
She could not help but look towards Xuan Yin at the side. “Oh right, Sovereign Xuan Yin.”
“Yes, does Ancestral Master have any instructions?” Xuan Yin seemed to have taken in everything rather quickly, as she respectfully bowed.
“Yue Ying was injured during the beast wave, so I brought him back to my place. He was unable to return in time, and I hope you don’t mind it.” Yue Ying was after all still her disciple, so it was necessary to notify her.
Xuan Yin was startled, and a thought flashed past her face. After a while, she replied. “Thank you, Ancestral Master.”
“Great Ancestral Master!” Lin Yu once again butted in. “It will be an auspicious day in three days, and this disciple wishes to transmit a message to the various clans and sects to gather here, to witness Great Ancestral Master taking the title of my sect’s Grand Ancestral Master. I wonder…” Lin Yu was excited, looking as though he wanted to drag her out in front of the various sects and clans to boast.
Zhu Yao instantly rejected his idea. She still needed to take care of Yue Ying, you know? So where would she find the time to tag along everywhere with him to show off?
“You heard it as well, Yue Ying is injured. Let’s just put aside these mundane affairs!”
“Great Ancestral Master, this…” Lin Yu was a little disappointed, and wanted to persuade further.
Zhu Yao however suddenly felt a light thud in her consciousness, the defensive formation outside her courtyard had been broken by someone. She suddenly stood up with an ugly expression. “Yue Ying!”
In an instant, her figure disappeared in a flash. She threw everyone else aside and flew back to her own courtyard.
However, she was stunned by the scene before her eyes.
A fire wall of several meters high was surrounding her entire courtyard, wildly spreading towards the building. The flames carried a large amount of spiritual energy, and the barrier outside the courtyard had long lost its effects. A burnt smell suffused in the air, and a large number of tree roots suddenly appeared at the center of the courtyard, tightly covering the hole where Yue Ying resided in. The two large trees next to the hole had long been set ablaze, and their trunks were already burnt charred black. Their leaves had long been burnt away, and they looked like they merely had a single breath of life left. However, the tree roots covering the hole did not move a single bit.
Zhu Yao’s heart ached, and in an instant, anger that filled her entire heart surged, and she suddenly had the impulse to destroy everything. She cast a water-type mystic art, and in an instant, five water dragons appeared in the sky, and they directly pounced towards the fire wall.
Sizzling and fire extinguishing noises sounded everywhere, and in almost a blink of an eye, the sky-piercing fire wall disappeared without a trace.
“Great Ancestral Master, what in the world…” When Lin Yu and the rest rushed over, the situation in the courtyard gave them a fright as well. No one knew what happened, and the main point was, there wasn’t any other figure in the surroundings.
Zhu Yao did not reply, as she looked at the two trees that had already been burnt to the point of being wilted. She could feel her heart clenching, and with trembling hands, she touched at the charred trunks.
“You have returned…” A voice so weak that could be barely heard sounded. It clearly had trouble speaking, yet it faintly carried a hint of expectation of being praised. “We did… as promised, help… look after. It’s… fine. Fruit… fine.”
Just these few words took all of its strength. Thereafter, the roots that were tightly bound together in the courtyard, as though they had suddenly lost their energy, collapsed in an instant.
Zhu Yao felt as though they was a knife poking at her heart, causing it to ache and twitch. Flames of fury endlessly surged, causing even her eyes to burn in crimson red. Something seemed to have snapped in her mind, and for a moment, she really wished to brutally torture the person who set this place ablaze.
Immediately releasing her divine sense, it enveloped the entire Blue Parasol Sect. A moment later, she raised her hand and cast an art, instantly summoning a bolt of lightning that struck towards a mountain bolder several dozen meters away.
An explosion roared, and that gigantic boulder was instantly turned into ash. A man that evidently heavily injured was presently lying at the bottom of the crater, and blood was flowing out from his seven apertures.
“Mu Liu!” Yi Ling exclaimed, as she recognized the person over there. He was exactly the Nine-tailed Fox Mu Liu whom they met at the dungeon back then.
Mu Liu’s expression changed. That heavenly lightning bolt earlier instantly scattered his cultivation, and he only managed to sit up after using all his might. Gasping for air, he looked towards Zhu Yao with a fearful expression. When did she become so incredibly powerful?
“You were the one who started the fire.” Zhu Yao said with certainty, and not in a questioning tone.
Mu Liu’s body trembled, as he felt fear on an instinctual level. “It’s, it’s not me… I only came here by coincidence.”
“Coincidence? The residual aura of fire spiritual energy on your body is exactly the same as that fire wall. Are you saying that’s a coincidence as well?” The one who started the fire was him, and Zhu Yao walked towards him.
“You’re lying!” Mu Liu’s expression changed. “I don’t have any reason to burn down your house at all.”
“Reason?” Zhu Yao coldly laughed, her sense of reasoning seemed to be lost from the flames of fury in her heart. “I don’t care for your reason, and I don’t need a reason to take your life either!”
His expression changed, as he turned about and planned to flee.
Zhu Yao immediately released her pressure, forcefully rooting him to the ground, and instantly summoned countless spiritual swords. Mu Liu was startled, and wanted to set up defenses. However, his Dantian had long been shattered, and he was basically unable to bring out any spiritual energy at all. He could only watch as those spiritual swords pierce through his chest one after another.
For a moment, Mu Liu’s screams rang in everyone’s ears.
“You… You…” Mu Liu only had a single breath left. He indignantly glared at her, and ruthlessly said. “So what if it was done by me? You… treated Ling’er that way… I only hate the fact that I did not manage to burn you along with the house!”
These words of his instantly shot past Zhu Yao’s explosive limit, and without holding back any longer, a spiritual sword directly shattered the demonic core in his body.
Mu Liu instantly turned back into his original form – a white Nine-tailed Fox.
With a twist of her wrist, Ruling Plume turned into a long sword and appeared in Zhu Yao’s hands. She stopped next to the white fox, and coldly said. “I heard that Nine-tailed Foxes possess spiritual awareness at birth, and are kings among demons. A tail would grow every hundred years, and on the thousandth year, one would be able to take up a human form.”
With a swing of her sword, she instantly sliced off his eight tails.
For a moment, the entire Blue Parasol Sect was filled with Mu Liu’s screams.
Zhu Yao however simply watched on, yet the anger in her heart could not be suppressed no matter what. Even his screams, sounded especially irritating. Not enough! He killed those two trees, and was this close to harming Yue Ying! With just these few lashes, how could it possibly be enough!?
That impulse to destroy grew even clearer, and she unconsciously raised her sword, wanting to end this fox that was screaming endlessly.
“Yu Yao!” A cool and low voice rang in her mind, like a bucket of ice water being poured onto her head. Her figure shook, and the anger that seemed as though was about to charge out of her body earlier, was now slowly dispersing.
Master…
She stood dazed for a long while.
Taking a deep breath, she was finally completely calm. Looking at the fox which had already fainted on the ground in front of her, a hint of uncertainty flashed within her eyes, and then, she turned and headed back.
Looking at Lin Yu and Yi Ling who was at the side, her face sank. She then coldly said. “Sect Master Lin, I want you to give me an explanation for this incident.”
After saying that, before even waiting for him to reply, she directly walked back to the courtyard. With a wave of her hand, she placed down layers upon layers of formations.
Suddenly, the ground underneath her greatly shook.
The crowd flew on their swords one after another, and they watched as the ground split apart inch after inch. With the courtyard Zhu Yao was residing in as the center, a circular area of radius of several kilometers, as though it was being pulled by some sort of energy, separated from the mountain body. It gradually rose into the air, floated above the mountain peak, and continued to rise high in the air.
A ray of formation light flashed past, and the floating mountain that turned into its own piece of land was instantly enchanted with a layer of transparent barrier.
Lin Yu’s face was ash-grey. It seemed like this Lord was truly furious. He had thought that with such a huge backing behind Blue Parasol Sect, they would become the number one sect in the cultivation world. However, he had never expected that they would offend that person not even a short while later. He could not help but give Yi Ling a resentful glare. Just as he was about to ask what was going on with the fox called Mu Liu, he realized Yi Ling seemed to have an ash-grey expression as well.
Zhu Yao placed down several spiritual energy guiding formations within the courtyard, and then inserted a large amount of wood spiritual energy into the two trees. Seeing that the charred black trunks were slowly regaining a little vitality, she heaved a sigh of relief. The life force of trees were resilient in the first place, and though they had suffered intense injuries now, as long as they were given time, they would still grow back. As long as wildfire do not endlessly burn, life would still be born with the spring breeze. As she was over the top furious earlier, she basically did not think of this possibility at all.
Recalling the matter earlier, Zhu Yao’s heart sank. She did not know why she was so impulsive either? And that uncontrollable anger was making her a little worried. That feeling felt as though even her entire being was being controlled by anger itself.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She quickly isolated the entire space, placed down several layers of restrictions, before heading into the house with an uneasy feeling.
“Master…” She habitually called out. Earlier, if not for his timely call, she would have really sliced that fox into thousand pieces. Though Mu Liu deserved it for his crimes, given her personality, her first reaction definitely would have been to save the two trees, and not look for Mu Liu to settle scores with. However, at that moment back then, she seemed to have selectively forgotten this problem. That uncontrollable feeling was really a serious issue.