A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 54: Chapter 51: Plundered Clean

Outside the array, the disciples of the three sects anxiously awaited. The light within the array flashed chaotically while humming sounds echoed. Zhao Xianzong was somewhat puzzled; these two broke my Spirit Snake Peak’s Four Symbols Array in mere moments, yet why is it taking so long to break this one? Could it be that my Four Symbols Array is lacking? Seems like it’s time to upgrade the grand array...

Both Wang and Sun were also a bit anxious, but when they looked at Jiang Qingfeng, who was calm, holding a longsword and capturing the woman cultivator, they didn’t voice their question.

Lost in their thoughts, after a stick of incense’s time, suddenly the grand array emitted a sharp explosion, its light extinguished, the Spiritual Qi scattered and vanished without a trace.

The grand array was broken!

The disciples of the three sects cheered in unison, and the three sect leaders couldn’t hold back, bowing towards Lu Qian: ”Sect Leader Lu, we are off!”

Lu Qian casually nodded his head while still recalling and pondering the experience of breaking the array just now. Although it was his first time breaking the array, with Master Xuan Ji holding the fort and the help of the Array Token, he still spent considerable time, and even made a mistake, needing to summarize the experience.

In an instant, everyone transformed into ravenous wolves, crossing the archway inscribed with ”Qingli Mountain,” charging straight in!

The dozen or so disciples guarding this place, only a few at Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation, gathered nervously in the sect square under the leadership of someone at Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, futilely attempting to resist.

These disciples trembled all over, their faces ashen, and faced the incoming enemies shouting messily, barely managing to throw out magical artifacts and talismans, deploying magic techniques in attack.

But what they faced was the elite disciples led by the sect leaders of the three sects. In the eyes of the three sects, these dozen people were just lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Jiang Qingfeng couldn’t bear to watch and closed her eyes.

Then came screams, wails, and cries for mercy echoing throughout the square. In the time for a cup of tea, the noise ceased, leaving only the excited chants of the three sect disciples as they flew away.

Lu Qian raised his eyes, blood was splattered across the stone steps, bodies strewn upon the ground, and no living soul remained in the square. The disciples of the three sects pursued each other, shouting as they rushed towards buildings bearing plaques inscribed with ”Alchemy Room,” ”Arsenal,” and others.

”Junior Sister...” Jiang Qingfeng called out softly, trembling, making it difficult to steady the Cold Frost Sword in her hand, frightening the woman cultivator to a pale complexion.

Lu Qian knew she had remembered something.

Smelling the thick scent of blood in the air, it seemed as if the night of the Yunshan Sect’s destruction appeared before her eyes again.

Back then, the senior brothers and sisters were also slaughtered tragically, and the sect’s three-hundred-year treasury was plundered completely in the same manner.

”Senior Sister.” Lu Qian stepped forward, gently moved the Cold Frost Sword aside, casually pushed the woman cultivator to one side, and held Jiang Qingfeng’s cold hands tightly, saying, ”Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Jiang Qingfeng grasped Lu Qian firmly, her eyes filled with tears. Lu Qian continued, ”It’s alright, Senior Sister, it’s alright. I will rebuild the sect, and from now on, I won’t let anyone hurt my Yunshan disciples.”

Jiang Qingfeng bit her silver teeth, nodded vigorously. Just as she was about to speak, she heard the woman cultivator scream, gazing at the scattered corpses in the scene and collapsing on the ground, crying loudly.

Lu Qian rarely became annoyed, the Starlight Needle flashed cold light, hovering before the woman cultivator’s eyes, angry: ”In this world, it’s survival of the fittest; what good is there in crying? Shut up!”

The woman cultivator was frightened into trying to remain silent, yet unable to stop, sniffling with tears and mucus all over her face.

”Only blame your Zhongming County’s Golden Core Major Xuanguang Sect for neglect, allowing subordinate sects to attack each other. How can such tragedies be limited to just your sect!” Lu Qian said impatiently, ”You have the Great Array Token, so you must be a Sect Leader’s Disciple? Hurry and leave, go cry before your Sect Leader Master, tell him to bring troops quickly back for revenge. Remember, our next target is Liuhua Valley, after breaking Liuhua Valley, we’ll go straight to Chaosheng Sect!”

The woman cultivator froze for a moment, finally remembering that her sect leader was still out with the sect’s elite in expedition, this tragedy only counted as severe injury but not yet destruction.

Hearing Lu Qian say he would let her go, she was both surprised and incredulous, looked up to see Lu Qian had turned around, supporting Jiang Qingfeng. Master Xuan Ji came over, waving his hand like shooing away flies: ”Go on, go find your Sect Leader and report back!”

The woman cultivator then reacted, hastily took out a flying spiritual artifact, and scrambled onto it, fleeing at high speed.

Time passed second by second, with a time limit of two sticks of incense, and the disciples of the three sects went crazy.

Magical artifacts, magic techniques, talismans, various lights flashed chaotically, breaking open doors, tearing down walls, burning buildings, like locusts swarming, demons dancing, turning the neat sect outpost into ruins, transforming a once beautiful Qingli Mountain into hell on earth.

A few disciples lost their heads amidst the looting, forgetting to pool and distribute resources afterwards, and fought fiercely for a few bottles of Elixir, punching and kicking each other. Fortunately, Sect Leader Wang arrived in time, rewarding each with a slap to bring them back to their senses.

Some quick-witted ones, seeing that the various buildings were claimed, ran back to start rifling through the corpses in the square, scavenging for their magical artifacts and storage pouches.

The last bit of sunlight disappeared, with a crash, a corner of the grand Qingli Mountain hall crumbled, a column of black smoke shot into the sky, merging into the night.

Seeing all this, Lu Qian was silent.

He understood well the pain of a sect being wiped out, and today he led others to plunder another’s mountain gate.

While planning, he regarded everyone including himself as mere pieces on a chessboard, but seeing such a scene truly made his heart mixed with countless emotions.

This was merely a trivial struggle, far from the word ”war.” In ancient times, when armies clashed, cities were slaughtered and nations destroyed; what kind of sentiments did those kings and generals harbor?

One general’s success, many bones turn to dust, perhaps only by treating human lives as numbers can one build an immortal legacy.

Master Xuan Ji gently sighed, despite being a loose cultivator before, he had seen such scenes several times over his 180 years of life.

He patted Lu Qian’s shoulder: ”Kid Lu, Sect Leader, you said it yourself, this world is survival of the fittest. Do what’s within your power when weak, preserve yourself, and when strong, you have the means to set the rules.”

Lu Qian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, suppressing distracting thoughts within: ”Elder Zhou, you’re right.”

At this moment, Jiang Qingfeng quietly extended her hand, her slightly cold palm gently holding Lu Qian’s.

Lu Qian felt a warmth in his heart. Turning his head, under the soft moonlight, he saw Qingfeng’s eyes full of concern.

Indeed, all my actions are for strengthening myself, reviving the Yunshan Sect, and protecting those I care about! To achieve this goal, even if I commit countless murders, so what? Should retribution come in the future, I’ll bear it all myself!

His gaze became determined, he gently returned Jiang Qingfeng’s grip, taking her together to board the White Jade Flying Ship, shouting loudly in mid-air: ”Disciples of the three sects, time is up, gather immediately!”

The three sect leaders regained their senses, kicking and dragging, gathering the reluctant disciples who were still scavenging in the ruins, riding their flying spiritual artifacts, and converged in front of Lu Qian.

Lu Qian nodded with satisfaction, pointed into the distance: ”Depart! Liuhua Valley!”

The disciples were excited, shouting loudly, as a dozen escape lights ascended together, heading toward Liuhua Valley a hundred miles away.