After Escaping From Death, He Went Even Crazier By Criticizing Black Lotus Chapter 23
byChapter 23 Judgment: This time, can you save only me?
Two streaks of spiritual light landed simultaneously, revealing their figures.
One possessed the air of an immortal, with white hair and a white beard, stroking his whiskers with a perpetual smile—this was the Xuanji Sect Master. The other wore a flowing, deep-blue Daoist robe, appearing handsome like a mature man in his thirties, with a cold, stern expression. With a wave of his hand, he dissolved the Immortal Binding Rope on Xiao Jianming. This was the Sword Venerable.
The Sword Venerable glanced indifferently at Su Huan. Su Huan immediately felt as if ten thousand pounds were pressing down on him and the sea was crashing over him. His face rapidly paled, and his body trembled slightly. Feng Jiangyue was horrified, stepping in front of him. She cried out urgently, “I beg the Sword Venerable to show mercy! My junior brother is already weak and cannot withstand such torment!”
“Hmph, he has some backbone.” The Sword Venerable ignored her. He had deliberately released double the pressure, but seeing Su Huan swaying without uttering a sound, the expression on his face softened slightly. He waved his sleeve, withdrawing the pressure, but then stated, “Since this was caused by being infected by demonic energy and losing control, then it is not my disciple’s fault. I do not accept this punishment!”
Xiao Jianming lifted his eyes and glanced at his cheap master, feeling somewhat surprised that he would speak up for him. He had thought he was just another sanctimonious hypocrite.
He subtly looked at Chongjiang True Lord, wondering if this person was the mastermind behind Su Huan. He needed to probe the situation.
The disciples present held their breath. Considering the Sword Venerable’s notorious tendency to protect his own, they instantly felt that Senior Brother Su would likely have to accept his bad luck and swallow this injustice. A commotion erupted.
Feng Jiangyue was indignant and opened her mouth to argue, only to find that she couldn’t make a sound. She then saw the old Sect Master subtly shaking his finger at her, and immediately understood that the Sect Master was secretly protecting her. She was just an ordinary disciple; if she rashly confronted the Sword Venerable, she might fail and even put her life in danger.
Feng Jiangyue still felt injustice in her heart. Su Huan sensed her emotions, tugged on her sleeve, and transmitted a message of comfort: Senior Sister, don’t worry. I have already sent a message to Master explaining the whole situation. He will be here soon.
If they couldn’t provoke the elders here, then calling in their own elder to deal with the elders should work, right?
He didn’t want to offend the protagonist, but he had to reclaim some interest, didn’t he?
Otherwise, who would he complain to about his shattered Golden Core?
Meanwhile, the old Sect Master stroked his beard and mused, “Junior Brother, this matter concerns the relationship between the Lingshuang and Lichen spiritual mountains. It is of great importance. Why don’t we continue this discussion over a cup of tea in my Huide Hall? If you proceed like this, it will be difficult for me to explain to Chongjiang.”
The surroundings buzzed again. Chongjiang True Lord of Lichen Mountain was also known for his extreme protectiveness and bad temper. It seemed there was still room for Senior Brother Su’s situation to turn around.
The Sword Venerable said nothing, flicked his sleeve, and departed, flying toward the Yuxiao main peak. The old Sect Master stroked his beard and chuckled, “Everyone, disperse.”
He then sighed toward Su Huan and his senior sister, “You two come up with me as well. What a karmic entanglement this is.”
Su Huan’s lips twitched, and he covered his face.
So, that ridiculous rumor had spread throughout the entire sect, known to everyone?
Save him, he was about to die from overworking his toes curling in embarrassment…
Although he was an actor, being exposed to scandalous gossip about himself by elders was still incredibly awkward…
Su Huan had just ridden his senior sister’s sword up to Huide Hall when he saw that the main hall contained not only the Sect Master and the Sword Venerable, but also a beautiful woman and Chongjiang True Lord.
Chongjiang True Lord was dressed in luxurious, noble attire. His face, which seemed as clear as the wind and bright as the moon, was marred by a pair of sharp, upturned phoenix eyes. Fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his gaze was filled with calculation and harshness—the typical appearance of a villain. Yet, he was a genuinely loving master who had tried several times to avenge the original owner.
When Feng Jiangyue saw her master, her apricot eyes shone with delight. Before she could stand steady, she shouted, “Master!”
Chongjiang True Lord lightly scolded, “The Sect Master is here. Look at how you behave, you’ve never had proper decorum since childhood. Hurry and bring Huan’er down!”
However, his eyes showed pride in his disciple’s refined cultivation. When his gaze fell upon Su Huan, it was filled with heartache. Watching Su Huan jump down from the sword, he quickly rushed over to catch him, nearly choking up. “My dear disciple has suffered! Your master will certainly seek justice for you!”
After speaking, he turned and glared furiously at the Sword Venerable.
The Sword Venerable did not wish to stoop to his level. He turned to look at the beautiful woman in luxurious robes on the dais and frowned, asking, “Why are you here?”
The beautiful woman covered her mouth and smiled. Although her appearance was elegant and dignified, she leaned lazily against the discussion table with a soft body, as if she possessed the bones of a succubus. She said languidly, “Senior Brother, you know my nature. Naturally, I came to watch the excitement.”
The old Sect Master coughed lightly. “Zihuan, there are juniors present. Put away your charm aura.”
Su Huan understood. This must be the legendary Zihuan True Lord, who had a face like a hibiscus but a heart like a viper, and possessed the ‘charm bone.’
However, her viperous heart was only directed at those outside the Xuanji Sect; she was quite good to her own disciples. If the Black Lotus hadn’t faked his death and fled the Xuanji Sect later on, he wouldn’t have been targeted by her in the secret realm, and the Black Lotus wouldn’t have moved against her.
Zihuan True Lord pouted, then sat up straight as requested. Her aura slightly retracted, making her beauty, like a hibiscus emerging from clear water, appear even more sacred and inviolable.
She leisurely scrutinized the young man in the hall. Others couldn’t see it, but she saw clearly: one of the two didn’t know how to restrain his aura, and the energy emanating from him subtly drew out a faint aura from the other, tightly intertwining them. This was clearly a sign of recent spiritual cultivation, yet they stood at opposite ends of the hall, acting as if they were avoiding each other.
Truly interesting.
After all, it was rare for fellow disciples to become partners and then turn against each other.
Most disciples who chose partners within the sect did so through prolonged affection. After becoming Dao companions, they supported each other outside. Compared to ordinary Dao companions, they had greater tacit understanding, and their feelings were naturally deeper and harder to break. Therefore, those who turned against each other were truly few.
Su Huan felt awkward under her scorching gaze and couldn’t help but try to hide slightly. However, he inadvertently met the eyes of an acquaintance and was momentarily stunned before realizing. Eldest Senior Brother, as the Sect Master’s personal disciple, naturally served by his side.
Eldest Senior Brother winked at him and served hot tea to the True Lords.
The Sword Venerable did not drink the tea. He slammed the cup onto the table and snorted, “I have made myself clear. What exactly do you want?”
Chongjiang True Lord glared. “What do you mean, ‘what we want’? Clearly, you are biased toward your disciple and refuse to let him accept punishment! A hundred years ago, you relied on your mastery of the sword Dao to cause trouble everywhere, forcing me to clean up your messes. Now, my disciple has lost his Golden Core because of your disciple! Our master and disciple pair must have accumulated eight lifetimes of bad luck to encounter you two…”
The Sword Venerable’s face grew darker and darker. The old Sect Master quickly intervened. “Enough, enough. These are all old, stale matters. Why bring them up?”
He sighed inwardly, thinking that only Chongjiang could keep this brat in check.
Stroking his beard, he said, “This is, after all, a matter between two young ones. Why don’t we ask them what they think?”
Three intense gazes shot toward him. Su Huan instantly froze; the gazes of cultivation world powerhouses were truly awe-inspiring.
The Sect Master’s clear, aged eyes looked at him. He stroked his whiskers and smiled. “Don’t be afraid. Just speak your mind.”
Chongjiang True Lord took a sip of tea and spat out a mouthful of tea leaves. He also slammed his cup onto the table, raising his chin. “Huan’er, don’t be scared. That Sword Venerable might be the number one swordsman in the world, but I am still his senior brother. Even if you say you want to stab that brat ten or a hundred times, he wouldn’t dare say anything.”
The Sword Venerable’s face turned completely sour. “He wouldn’t dare!”
Chongjiang True Lord glared back. Just as the two were about to start arguing again, and Su Huan was about to intervene, Xiao Jianming stepped forward first. He swept his robes and knelt on the ground, first bowing to the True Lords, then glancing at Su Huan. His dark eyes were filled with watery remorse. Finally, he spoke resolutely, “This matter was caused by this disciple injuring Senior Brother Su first. I volunteer to enter the Cold Pool Sin Prison for punishment.”
Su Huan looked at him in surprise. The Black Lotus was putting on a show again. No, what was he planning?
He didn’t believe the other party had the self-awareness to admit fault.
The Sword Venerable’s expression changed. He immediately rebuked, “What nonsense are you speaking? How can you withstand the Cold Pool Sin Prison? Get up quickly!”
Xiao Jianming smiled sadly, his peripheral vision noting the change in Chongjiang True Lord’s expression. He displayed the look of a lovesick fool whose entire being was devoted to Su Huan. He deeply kowtowed. “This disciple’s mind is made up… I have wronged Senior Brother.”
Su Huan: “…” You should stop thinking about killing me all the time.
The Sword Venerable’s face was livid, but since the person involved had said so, what could he do?
He flicked his sleeve, turned away, and remained silent.
Chongjiang True Lord still felt it wasn’t enough. He said, “What good is throwing you into the Cold Pool Sin Prison? My disciple’s Golden Core is gone forever! Even if you are confined in the Cold Pool for eternity, it wouldn’t be enough to offset the harm done to my disciple!”
Xiao Jianming, bowing low on the ground, paused, then decisively ruled out Chongjiang True Lord.
This old man, though vicious, was foolish. He could absolutely not be the person behind the scenes.
Then… could it be the Sect Master?
The old Sect Master paused the hand stroking his whiskers and spoke, “Enough.”
Chongjiang True Lord coldly snorted, knowing that if he continued, he would anger the old Sect Master. He simply shut his mouth like the Sword Venerable, but secretly gave Feng Jiangyue a look, urging her to cry out a few more times.
Senior Brother could control him, but he couldn’t bring himself to discipline a junior. It would be best if she wailed until the Senior Brother’s ears were ringing, forcing him to agree to punish that brat with a hundred more Soul Burning Whips, breaking his foundation completely.
Feng Jiangyue understood, but the old Sect Master glanced sideways at her. She choked up and dared not speak.
The old Sect Master withdrew his gaze and was about to make a final decision when Zihuan True Lord suddenly spoke. “Eh, Senior Brother, the Cold Pool Sin Prison has historically imprisoned only those who are heinously wicked. But having listened all this time, I don’t believe Junior Nephew Xiao is such a person. Entering the Cold Pool Sin Prison like this would ruin his immortal path, wouldn’t it?”
“How about this: since he destroyed Junior Nephew Su’s Golden Core, he should compensate him with a Golden Core.”
Everyone in the hall fell silent, their expressions uncertain. The Sword Venerable slammed the table in anger. “You want to cut out my disciple’s Golden Core to give to him?! I disagree!”
Chongjiang True Lord coldly snorted. “Why not? It’s just a Golden Core, it’s not his life. Is his Golden Core precious, but my disciple’s Golden Core is not? What kind of logic is that? I tell you, I am determined to cut out his core today!”
The Sword Venerable was tongue-tied and couldn’t find words to refute. He angrily slammed the table again, shouting, “I forbid it!”
The two were once again at loggerheads. Zihuan covered her mouth and smiled, softly mediating, “Who said we should cut out his core? The Golden Core is not irreparable. A single Soul Renewal Pill can restore it.”
“My meaning is, since he caused Junior Nephew Su to lose his Golden Core, then the medicinal herbs needed to repair the core should be gathered by him as compensation for his mistake. Wouldn’t that be better?”
The Sword Venerable’s expression softened, and his anger subsided. He thought that although the herbs required to refine the spiritual pill were complex, they were not as important as a sword cultivator’s life-bound sword. He could accept this.
He asked Chongjiang True Lord, “Are you satisfied?”
Chongjiang True Lord narrowed his phoenix eyes, calculating in his heart that the herbs needed to repair the Golden Core were extremely rare. Not only were they found in dangerous places, but sometimes one could travel the Seven Continents and Four Seas and still not find a single stalk. Moreover, they needed to be gathered and refined into a pill. It would surely be difficult enough to kill that brat.
That brat still seemed to harbor ill intentions toward Little Huan’er. If he couldn’t gather the herbs and refine the pill, wouldn’t he be consumed by guilt?
This was much more painful than clearing his sin with a single stint in the Cold Pool Sin Prison. Excellent!
As for the Soul Renewal Pill that could repair the Golden Core, he actually had a ready-made one. He could secretly give it to Little Huan’er later, and let that brat run all over the world to suffer and torment himself.
Although this brat had good talent, his cultivation wasn’t high. He was only a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he was so secretive. His mind was as full of schemes as a needle’s eye. If he died halfway, then Heaven had eyes, and he deserved it, saving his obedient disciple from being seduced.
Chongjiang True Lord finally felt satisfied and nodded with reserved agreement.
Seeing that both had agreed, the old Sect Master stroked his whiskers and asked Xiao Jianming, “Young one, do you have any objections?”
Xiao Jianming felt puzzled. This situation made it impossible for him to discern who the mastermind was.
A person capable of setting up such a flawless scheme should also seize the opportunity to push him into the abyss, then allow Su Huan to offer timely help, thereby enticing him to become even more devoted until he willingly offered himself as a belief, successfully opening the passage beneath the Sea of No Delusion. That was how it should go.
He kowtowed again. “This disciple is willing.”
The old Sect Master then looked at Su Huan, asking for his opinion.
Su Huan was eager for the Black Lotus to stay far away from him, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.
Zihuan True Lord clapped her hands and smiled. “The problem is solved, isn’t it? Why separate the young couple? Perhaps as they travel together, they might reconcile.”
Su Huan was bewildered.
Huh? Why did this sound increasingly wrong to him?
Chongjiang True Lord also frowned. “What travel? What are you talking about?”
Zihuan True Lord blinked, feigning surprise. “Oh, didn’t I mention it? Although the Soul Renewal Pill can repair the Golden Core when consumed, to obtain a perfect Golden Core, three of the medicinal herbs must have properties that perfectly match the pill taker.”
“To achieve this effect, the pill taker must personally harvest the spiritual herbs. Hmm, does Junior Nephew Su not want a more perfect Golden Core?”
Chongjiang True Lord’s face immediately darkened, but he couldn’t refute her. The Soul Renewal Pill he had acquired through auction truly couldn’t give his disciple a perfect Golden Core.
As for a perfect Golden Core, only a fool wouldn’t want one.
Damn it, Zihuan had set him up!
When Su Huan heard this, his eyes couldn’t help but light up. Only someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root like the Black Lotus could form a perfect Golden Core. If he could possess a perfect Golden Core, wouldn’t his cultivation advance thousands of miles a day, and he would never have to fear being unable to defeat the Black Lotus again?
Coupled with the constraint of the Heavenly Dao Oath, the Black Lotus would no longer be able to harm him!
This was wonderful! Zihuan True Lord was practically his lucky star!
The more Su Huan thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone. He didn’t even fear traveling with the Black Lotus anymore and wished to set off immediately.
Xiao Jianming saw this scene and fell silent inwardly.
He sneered to himself. Fate truly was a trickster. The complete sincerity he had sought for half his life, he had now obtained, yet he was destined to betray it.
Su Huan was not that person. This was not the sincerity he desired.
His palm involuntarily rubbed the lotus-shaped water jade on his chest again. He was intimately familiar with every line etched upon it. The characters “Buhuan” carved there had been caressed by him countless times.
Brother Buhuan, the demonic cultivator raised me but coveted my flesh and blood. The hypocritical old Daoist gave me clothes and food but imprisoned me only to seize my body. Now, finally, someone treats me with sincerity. What about you?
This time, can you save only me?