It took Ethan Ye a long moment to recover, then he fixed Elder Ma with a deadly stare. "Can you confirm that the Yellow Springs Secret Canon is really at the Jade Maiden Sect?"
Elder Ma replied, "That's just a rumor. The division master only brought us along to investigate."
"A rumor?"
Ethan Ye let out a cold laugh. Based on what he knew of Victor Tu, if it were really just a rumor and he didn't have at least fifty percent confidence, there was no way he'd personally go to the Jade Maiden Sect—and with only two elders at that.
He'd always been wary of his junior-brother Victor Tu, who was constantly scheming to push him off the sect master’s seat and take his place.
Over the past decade, under Victor Tu’s management, the Wind Division’s younger generation had already surpassed the Thunder Division disciples on the main peak. If he got his hands on the Yellow Springs Secret Canon and his cultivation shot past Ethan’s, he’d probably make a direct move for the sect master position!
Now that Victor Tu was in trouble, this was the perfect chance to get rid of him.
With this thought, Ethan immediately summoned four Thunder Division elders and led them straight to the Jade Maiden Sect.
Four hours later.
Ethan Ye and his four Thunder Division elders appeared before the mountain gate of the Jade Maiden Sect.
The only female elder, Elder Wei Ying, flew up into the air and probed the void for a while, then reported to Ethan Ye, "Sect Master, there was a major battle here several hours ago. Three traces of aura remain in the void—they should belong to Elder Lee and Elder Ma of the Wind Division, and Division Master Tu. Among them, Division Master Tu's aura is especially strong and carries a violent, explosive quality, very much like the aftermath of a Nascent Soul self-detonation."
On hearing this, Ethan Ye narrowed his eyes, a hint of delight flashing deep within them. "Can you confirm that Division Master Tu self-detonated his Nascent Soul?"
"Eight or nine chances out of ten!" Elder Wei Ying nodded, her expression firm.
"Elder Wei, that can't be right. Why are there only three traces of aura?" an elderly-looking elder asked, voicing his doubts.
Elder Wei Ying frowned slightly. "I really only sensed three distinct auras!"
"Why is that?" the elder pressed.
"There are two possibilities," Elder Wei Ying mused. "First, the person from the Jade Maiden Sect erased their own aura. Second, they have perfect control over their energy and can prevent any aura from leaking at all."
On hearing this, everyone—including Ethan Ye—grew tense. They all felt the second possibility was more likely. After all, no one would self-detonate their Nascent Soul unless utterly desperate, yet Victor Tu had done exactly that. It showed just how terrifying their opponent must be.
"Sect Master, the woman from the Jade Maiden Sect must be extremely strong. Should we really continue inside?" the oldest elder asked gravely. He was the most senior Thunder Division elder, his cultivation already at peak Nascent Soul.
Ethan Ye’s face suddenly turned cold, mixed with a touch of hypocritical anger. "They killed our Yuhua Sect division master and elders. If we back down now, how can Yuhua Sect hold its ground in Yuyang Commandery? That’s why I’ll destroy the Jade Maiden Sect!"
The four elders saw that Ethan Ye’s mind was made up, so they said nothing more. Whether the sect master was really after the Yellow Springs Secret Canon or just defending Yuhua Sect’s reputation—only he knew for sure!
"Our opponent is very strong. We must not be careless. Elder Wei, Elder Lu, Elder Xie, Elder Meng—I'm ordering you to form the Four Fiends Heaven-Slaughter Formation!" As he spoke, Ethan Ye handed each of them an array disk.
Elder Wei took charge of the Vermilion Bird array disk.
Elder Lu took charge of the Azure Dragon array disk.
Elder Xie took charge of the Black Tortoise array disk.
Elder Meng took charge of the White Tiger array disk.
The Four Fiends Heaven-Slaughter Formation was one of Yuhua Sect’s three supreme treasures. When formed by four late Nascent Soul elders, it could annihilate even an early Out-of-Body stage expert.
The other two supreme treasures were the Heart-Heaven Ring and the Dragon-Roar Bell.
The Heart-Heaven Ring was a fifth-grade offensive spirit artifact, specializing in spiritual attacks and bewildering the enemy’s mind; the Dragon-Roar Bell was also a fifth-grade spirit artifact, but combined offense and defense.
With these two treasures for protection, Sect Master Ethan Ye himself could also kill an early Out-of-Body stage enemy.
It was precisely because of these three supreme treasures that Ethan Ye dared to go after the Yellow Springs Secret Canon, even knowing how powerful his opponents were.
"Let’s go!"
In the next moment, Ethan Ye shot into the air above the Jade Maiden Sect, with the four elders following close behind in a mysterious formation.
Buzz!
Just as the five were about to descend onto the summit of Jade Maiden Peak, a rainbow-colored barrier blocked their way.
"Guardian Mountain Formation!"
Ethan Ye was caught off guard, but his gaze quickly turned cold. He threw a punch at the rainbow barrier.
Crack!
His punch was like lightning, striking the rainbow barrier in the blink of an eye.
Buzz buzz!
The rainbow barrier shuddered and flickered, dissolving the force of his punch.
"It actually blocked my punch!"
Now Ethan Ye was even more surprised—and a bit angry. With a cold snort, he casually tossed out a palm-sized golden bell, which hovered in midair, its surface covered in dense runes, radiating a sacred and immense aura.
The bell expanded with the wind, swelling to the size of a small mountain in mere moments, then smashed fiercely into the rainbow barrier.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
After nine consecutive strikes, the rainbow barrier still hadn’t shattered, but its colors grew noticeably dimmer.
Just then, several streaks of light shot over from the distance.
Leading the group was Ji Tianjun of the Ji Clan, followed by Ji Tianqiong, and the third, fourth, fifth sister, and sixth brother of the Ji family.
When he saw the Ji Clan members arrive, Ethan Ye immediately put away the Dragon-Roar Bell and watched Jason Ji, Gavin Ji, and their siblings with caution.
"So it’s the Ji Clan Patriarch. May I ask what brings you here today?"
"This isn’t Yuhua Sect territory, you know!" Derek Ji sneered.
"Indeed. I’d like to ask—what brings Sect Master Ye to the Jade Maiden Sect today?" Jason Ji said with a half-smile.
Hmph!
Ethan Ye snorted, "The Jade Maiden Sect has offended Yuhua Sect—I’m here for revenge. Surely the Ji Clan Patriarch isn’t here for the same reason?"
Jason Ji chuckled, "Not at all. My Ji Clan has a business transaction with the Jade Maiden Sect. Sect Master Ye, could you possibly wait until we’ve finished our deal before seeking revenge?"
"A transaction? What transaction?" Ethan Ye frowned.
Jason Ji smiled, "That’s a Ji Clan secret—I’m afraid I can’t share it, Sect Master Ye. I hope you’ll allow us this courtesy!"
"First come, first served. I’m afraid I can’t give the Ji Clan this courtesy!" Ethan Ye sneered, though inwardly he was certain the Ji Clan was also here for the Yellow Springs Secret Canon.
Jason Ji, for his part, also suspected that Ethan Ye was here for the Yellow Springs Secret Canon.
Just then, a woman in green appeared in the sky. Her gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Gavin Ji. "Did you bring all the spirit crystals I asked for?"
Gavin Ji was delighted. "Fellow Daoist Qing, we brought all the spirit crystals you requested!" he said quickly.
"Very well. Let’s trade—payment for goods!" Song Yan said with a smile.
"Fellow Daoist A-Qing, all the spirit crystals you requested are here. Please inspect them!" Jason Ji took out a storage pouch and tossed it to Song Yan.
After checking, Song Yan found exactly ten thousand high-grade spirit crystals in the pouch. He nodded, then threw a black jade slip to Jason Ji.
Jason Ji eagerly pressed the black jade slip to his forehead, his face lighting up with joy. He quickly put it away and waved his hand, "Let’s go!"
"Wait!"
Ethan Ye suddenly called out.