Chapter 0417: Going Too Far
“Sect Master, I have already arranged the personnel on my side. The most important Method Depository Pavilion’s Array Formation has not been breached.” Zhang Qian reported in an overjoyed voice to Ning Cheng. He honestly had not thought that his Senior Apprentice Brother Ning Cheng would have such amazing abilities, to the point that he could even repair the damaged Mountain Protecting Grand Array.
Ning Cheng also couldn’t help but think that Zhang Qian had matured a lot over these years. He felt delighted with how he handled the matters assigned to him, “Zhang Qian, gather the rest of the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect Disciples and come to the Main Hall of the Main Peak, I will also be reaching there in a short while.”
Just like that, the few people once again dispersed. Only Ning Ruolan, Ji Luofei, Lian’e, and Taishu Pinghao remained with Ning Cheng. Ning Cheng asked, “Senior Li….”
“Sect Master, this Li Yan does not deserve the honour of being addressed as ‘senior,’ Sect Master, just call me by my name, Li Yan; it will be more than enough.” Li Yan on hearing Ning Cheng address him as ‘Senior,’ immediately gave a bow and spoke out hastily.
“Ok.” Ning Cheng also did not mind it, whether or not people accepted him as the Acting Sect Master, he was still the one currently in charge of the sect. Moreover, his cultivation was also a lot higher than Li Yan’s cultivation, so using the Earth’s way of respecting and addressing elders would not be appropriate at this moment.
“Li Yan, how long have you been in the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect?”
“This disciple entered the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect nearly 700 years ago and has been guarding the Small Spiritual Domain for almost 200 years.” Li Yan replied with a bow.
Although Ning Ruolan knew that True Cultivators enjoyed a prolonged life, but hearing it directly from the very mouth of the old man, that he was over 700 years old, caused her to feel a lot surprised.
Ning Cheng nodded; with Li Yan’s Soul Essence Cultivation, he possessed a life expectancy of about 800 to 1000 years. Currently, after the passage of all these years, it was evident that his life expectancy was almost exhausted.
Seeing Ning Cheng nod, Li Yan once again continued, “Most of the disciples who chose to stay in the academy are old people like me, who have already given up any hope of advancing further. They are the same as me and are reluctant to travel around like in their younger days. So all of us just chose to stay back at the academy and fight. As for fellow disciples like Junior Apprentice Brother Zhang, they still have a promising future to look forward. As such, disciples like them, who chose to stay back voluntarily, are truly quite rare.”
Ning Cheng knew that the situation might indeed be like this, but he did not care about it. If it were him, if the Academy he was in perished, then he might have also chosen to leave the academy like the others to find a way to live.
“Li Yan, can you tell me how our Mountain Protecting Grand Array broke? I know for a fact that Sect Master Rui is mighty, so who were the people capable enough to severely injure Sect Master Rui?” Ning Cheng guessed that Li Yan should know something about this; after all, he was probably the oldest person alive in the current Rainbow Fall Sword Sect.
Li Yan sighed and spoke, “Is Sect Master aware of a person named Bei Xialan?”
Bei Xialan? Ning Cheng felt that this name was quite familiar to him. He had a formidable memory, so in just a moment he was able to recall the information associated with this name. Initially, when he had gone to pick up a mission, he had chanced upon the task to capture the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s traitor disciple, Lei Junfeng.
The reward for this mission was also very high; at the same time, he also heard about the misdeeds of this person from a fellow Sect Disciple by the name of Jin Liangan.
Lei Junfeng had raped the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s Deputy Sect Master Shan Wenyao’s Dao Companion, Bei Xialan. He even stole the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s treasure, the Coloured Glass Picture Scroll. Because Lei Junfeng had a formidable strength to back his deeds, along with excellent qualifications, he was able to achieve astonishing progress, causing no one to feel willing enough to take this mission.
“I know this person, wasn’t she originally the Dao Companion of one of the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s Deputy Sect Masters, Shan Wenyao?” Ning Cheng nodded and spoke.
Li Yan once again sighed and spoke, “The matter between Bei Xialan and Lei Junfeng is something already known by everyone. All the people knew that Lei Junfeng raped Bei Xialan. However, Deputy Sect Master Shan Wenyao really loved his Dao Companion to the extreme, even if Bei Xialan ended up ruined in the hands of Lei Junfeng, he did not admonish Bei Xialan. Instead, he comforted Bei Xialan; however, Bei Xialan no longer had the face to come out in the open again, remaining in cultivation seclusion in the Glory Sword Peak.”
“However, everything thing changed that day. I saw Bei Xialan and Lei Junfeng along with another man besieging Sect Master Rui. I also came to know at that time that Lei Junfeng had definitely not raped Bei Xialan, unlike what others knew, rather the two were in an adulterous relationship…..”
Ning Cheng frowned, while simultaneously asking a question for the doubts that rose in his mind, “Li Yan, is what you’re saying correct? Even if that was the case, how could those two people besiege the powerful Sect Master Rui?”
Li Yan spoke with affirmation, “I did not misread, if not for Sect Master Rui, I would have already lost my life…..”
As Li Yan spoke, the scene from a few days ago once again emerged in his mind…
“Lei Junfeng, you beast that deceives your master to extinguish your ancestors, even joining up with outsiders to attack my Rainbow Fall Sword Sect. I, Rui Baishan, truly possessed blind eyes, to actually take in a wild wolf like you……” Rui Baishan’s aura felt disorderly; apparently, he was already severely injured.
In spite of this, there were still three people besieging him; besides the woman, there were also two men. A middle-aged man in grey robes and a handsome young man with a slender stature.
This handsome and slender young man spoke out in a leisure pace, “Master, on account of the feelings between us over many years, as long as you can come up with that thing, I can guarantee that nothing would happen to you. Otherwise, if Master Ba decides to step in, would you even be able to escape?”
Evidently, he was Rui Baishan’s disciple Lei Junfeng.
“Beast, even if it is the end of my Rainbow Fall Nine Revolutions, I will kill you……” Rui Baishan’s body started overflowing with a murderous aura, immediately followed by a few rainbow-like rays condensed out of his True Essence before shooting out. That slender and handsome looking youth immediately shot backwards; at the same time, Bei Xialan also crazily started spouting several mouthfuls of blood as she fell down from the sky.
“Xialan….” Uncertain if Bei Xialan was alive or dead, Lei Junfeng felt frightened out of his wits as he crazily rushed forward to hug Bei Xialan.
Rui Baishan also ended up spitting out a bit of blood because of overexertion, just as he was about to continue with the attack and kill Lei Junfeng, the Rainbow Fall Sword Peak’s top suddenly burst with a violent explosion. As the blast rang out, the middle-aged man besieging Rui Baishan immediately rushed out towards the top of the Rainbow Fall Sword Peak, simultaneously throwing out several Array Discs.
Rui Baishan did not expect that there were other traitors within the Rainbow Fall Sword Peak. He immediately dropped the idea of killing Lei Junfeng and wanted to rush towards the Rainbow Fall Sword Peak. However, the moment he turned around, another female cultivator and several other Crucible Transformation Cultivators surrounded him.
That female cultivator massacred the numerous Rainbow Fall Sword Sect Disciples that came rushing out to help. Although Rui Baishan managed to kill several of the Crucible Transformation Cultivators, the sheer numbers overwhelmed him. With his strength declining, it became impossible for him to contend against so many experts.
However, just when that grey robed man pulled out the Yonder Immortal Rainbow Sword and was about to depart, he was stopped by a crazy Rui Baishan. However, at this time, that female cultivator also rushed forward to once again lay siege over Rui Baishan. Rui Baishan ended up once again grievously wounded. Taking that chance, more people surrounded him, gradually pushing him down into the grounds of the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect.
The Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s casualties among the Crucible Transformation Cultivators were quite substantial. With the news about Rui Baishan losing, the rest of the cultivators not yet dead immediately started to run away, throwing the entire Rainbow Fall Sword Sect into considerable confusion.
Fortunately, at this time, several more Crucible Transformation Cultivators arrived to prevent this chaotic situation from spiralling anymore. However, it did not last for long. Just as these Crucible Transformation Cultivators came, even more, Crucible Transformation Cultivators came wearing masks. It immediately escalated into a dogfight. Eventually, the experts on the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s side gradually started to fall down or vanish one after another. Among those left behind, there were only a few lower levelled cultivators.
……
Hearing the narration, Ning Cheng immediately understood that the situation was definitely unlike what the Profound Light Chamber of Commerce portrayed to him, where they told him that only two people had broken into the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect. There were a lot more than two people. It should be more appropriate to say that a man and woman chose to collaborate and take up the primary task of going against Rui Baishan.
This was definitely a planned and organised operation. Although it might have some relation to Ning Cheng, it was definitely not entirely because of him.
Rui Baishan cultivated the Rainbow Fall Nine Revolutions Cultivation Method; every promotion to the next step would be the most dangerous time and the moment when Rui Baishan was at his weakest. It was also at this time that the traitor within the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect chose to collaborate with the outsiders to break open the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect. Their purpose was undoubtedly to kill Rui Baishan. However, Rui Baishan also possessed formidable strength, even if his own plotted against him at the most critical point in his cultivation; it was still not enough to kill him. Not only that, he even managed to kill several Crucible Transformation Cultivators, before he ended up forced to leave.
When it came to the other high-levelled cultivators belonging to the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect, it was just as he had guessed. As for the people who started it all in secret, no one knew if they died or if they managed to run away. The reason that those people with high cultivation, who plotted against the Rainbow Fall Sect, chose not to immediately occupy the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect was not that they had noble thoughts. Instead, they wanted to invade the grounds of the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect using a justifiable excuse. That is, once those rogue cultivators killed off the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s disciples, they would then use the chance to massacre all the rogue cultivators in the name of justice and as a ‘revenge’ for the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect.
Moreover, if Rui Baishan did not die, any single Academy that dared to occupy the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect, even in an open and above board manner, would still have to face the wrath of Rui Baishan in the future once he returned. At present, whether it was choosing to profit from someone’s misfortune or looting from a burning house, it was not something any single academy would do. However, if many academies actually chose to come out simultaneously, even if Rui Baishan became even stronger in the future, he would not be able to find fault with so many academies under the guise of justice as a retaliating academy.
“Do you know the long eyebrows elder from the Method Depository Pavilion? Where did he go?” When Ning Cheng had previously gone to the Method Depository Pavilion, he could vaguely feel that the long eyebrowed elder was not simple at all.
“A month ago, the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect discovered a possible Spiritual Vein in the Shattered Canopy Mountains; however, at the same time, the Red Star Sword Faction and the Star Gathering Mansion also discovered this Spiritual Vein. Because Sect Master was in seclusion and the Spiritual Vein something significant, Deputy Sect Master Tantai invited Elder Zhongli Ping and Elder Taoist San Min from the Method Depository Pavilion to accompany him to the Shattered Canopy Mountains. However, they are yet to come back.”
Li Yan was someone who guarded the Small Spiritual Domain; however, he kept himself well informed about the other news.
Ning Cheng frowned; he could vaguely feel that there was definitely some sort of connection between the recently discovered Spiritual Vein and this matter with the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect. It was just too coincidental, especially since all of this happened only when Rui Baishan decided to go into seclusion. As for the preciousness of Spiritual Vein, no one did not know about it; even the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect contained only a broken and dilapidated Spiritual Vein. If a complete Spiritual Vein appeared, then sending people with the strength on the level of Elder Taoist San and Deputy Sect Master Tantai Fei, along with the long eyebrowed elder, was quite reasonable.
“Bang….” At this time, the Rainbow Fall Sword Sect’s Mountain Protecting Grand Array once again gave off a loud sound. Ning Cheng’s complexion immediately changed. He did not think that these people would really dare to attack the now-completely-sealed-up Mountain Protecting Grand Array. It looks like those people decided to completely shred away any considerations to face.
“Sect Master, someone is attacking our Grand Array.” Kong Xin rushed in and reported in a panic-stricken voice.
“Those bastards, did they really think that my Rainbow Fall Sword Sect is this easy to bully?” Ning Cheng was already simmering in anger, he didn’t care about the fact that he sealed off the mountains. Assaulting the Mountain Protecting Grand Array was akin to cultivating true virtue by applying makeup yet having sex repeatedly, it was just going too far.
[TL Note: The English equivalent to the phrase ‘cultivating true virtue by applying makeup yet having sex repeatedly’ would be ‘claiming to be a virgin yet acting like a whore.’]
The Severing Emotions Dao Sect had lost so many Crucible Transformation Cultivators, causing them to seal off their mountains, yet nobody was willing to go there and provoke them, unlike the current situation.
Ning Cheng was just about to call Ning Ruolan and the others to come to the Main Hall of the Main Peak when Zhang Qian immediately rushed in with over a thousand people. Apparently, they also realised that someone was attacking the Mountain Protecting Grand Array.
“Zhang Qian, you just follow behind me. Li Yan, you along with others proficient in Array Formation keep an eye on the Mountain Protecting Grand Array. I will go out and deal with those trashes.” Ning Cheng raised his hand, and the Nirvana Spear immediately appeared in his open palm.
At this moment, killing intent was on the verge of exploding out in his chest. He knew that at this point, it would be over-excessive to be desirous of a steady and stable place. It was just impossible at this point.