Chapter 61: Marching to Demand Justice

“There truly exists such a beautiful woman in this world…” Ye Tianxing murmured under his breath, quickening his pace to catch up. Ahead, the young woman seemed to sense someone following her. Her delicate brows knitted together as she paused, turned, and looked back at Ye Tianxing.

She was none other than Nuo Lan.

Nuo Lan gazed at Ye Tianxing and frowned. “Why are you following me?”

Ye Tianxing straightened his robe and wore a faint, gentle smile that, matched with his refined features, could easily charm many a maiden.

“I am Ye Tianxing. Upon first meeting you, it felt as though I’ve glimpsed a celestial maiden. Might I ask your name, fair lady?” he said with a smile.

Before Nuo Lan could respond, her brows barely furrowed, a figure came rushing over from afar.

“Senior Sister, something’s wrong! There’s trouble!” Qing Luo cried as she ran to Nuo Lan’s side, breathlessly continuing, “You’ll understand when you get back. I don’t know exactly what happened either.”

At these words, Nuo Lan hurried off with Qing Luo toward their residence. Ye Tianxing’s gaze flickered; he strode after them. A few young men nearby also followed curiously.

They stopped before a secluded courtyard. Ye Tianxing surveyed the surroundings, nodding slightly to himself.

“The environment here is quite good. It seems this woman holds a rather high status within Xuandao Sect. The atmosphere is a bit cold, but with my abilities, she’ll be mine sooner or later,” he murmured, brimming with confidence.

He had once been a nobody, only taken as a disciple by Daoist Wuchen, who never truly valued him. After Wuchen’s death, Ye Tianxing relied on his outstanding talent and cunning to rise above the rest, catching the eye of the Qingshan Sect’s patriarch and becoming his disciple. In one leap, he became the most sought-after figure in Qingshan Sect.

Though his cultivation was only at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, he firmly believed that one day, he would become the strongest existence in the entire Qingshui Kingdom.

Suddenly, a pained and hysterical scream echoed from within the courtyard. Ye Tianxing started, frowning.

“There’s a man here. Who is he, and what’s his relationship with that woman?” Countless thoughts flashed through Ye Tianxing’s mind in an instant.

Ye Tianxing recognized the voice—it seemed oddly familiar. He stepped forward into the courtyard.

Inside, a youth of seventeen or eighteen was being tightly restrained by another young man. The youth’s face was twisted in agony, his eyes bloodshot, a murderous aura radiating from his body.

“What on earth happened?” Nuo Lan asked anxiously.

“I don’t know either. Tianfang was cultivating, and suddenly he just went berserk,” Ge Bin replied urgently, straining to hold the frenzied Yin Tianfang in his arms.

“Senior Sister, think of something!” Qing Luo pleaded, her voice tense.

“I can barely hold on. Senior Sister, perhaps we should call Elder Xuanyin,” Ge Bin gritted out. Though he was much sturdier than Yin Tianfang, he was beginning to lose his grip.

“You two, keep holding him down,” Nuo Lan instructed. Quickly, she pulled out a jade flute and played a gentle, lingering melody that drifted through the courtyard. The ethereal notes carried a strange magic, soothing all who heard them.

As the flute played, Yin Tianfang gradually calmed, the blood-red light fading from his eyes before he finally lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Nuo Lan rushed over and cradled Yin Tianfang in her arms. As Ye Tianxing entered the courtyard and saw the youth in Nuo Lan’s embrace, his pupils contracted sharply.

“He’s alive!” The sight of Yin Tianfang sent shockwaves through Ye Tianxing’s heart. He never expected Yin Tianfang to have survived. Judging from the way Nuo Lan held him, their relationship was clearly extraordinary.

“That wild brat—how is his luck this good? He was favored at Qingyun Sect, survived falling off a cliff, and now he’s at Xuandao Sect, even winning this woman’s affection.” A cold glint flashed in Ye Tianxing’s eyes.

“But now that I’ve found you, your luck has run out.”

At that moment, Nuo Lan noticed Ye Tianxing entering the courtyard. Her brows furrowed in displeasure. “Why are you here?”

Ye Tianxing smiled calmly. “I saw you rush off as if in trouble and thought I might be able to help. But it seems my assistance isn’t needed. I’ll take my leave.” With that, he led his Qingshan Sect companions away.

“Senior Brother Ye, that crazed youth looked familiar—wasn’t that Yin Tianfang?” one of the young men whispered as they walked away.

“There’s no ‘seems’ about it,” Ye Tianxing replied coldly. “I can’t believe that brat survived all that!”

“Shouldn’t we report to the elders immediately? Tell them Yin Tianfang is alive and at Xuandao Sect, so they can demand the sect hand him over to us,” another suggested.

They hastened their pace, heading for the southern peaks of Xuandao Sect.

“Senior Sister, who were those people just now?” Qing Luo asked curiously after Ye Tianxing and his group had left.

“I don’t know them. They’re probably disciples from Qingshan Sect,” Nuo Lan replied, shaking her head as she gazed worriedly at the unconscious Yin Tianfang in her arms, too concerned to dwell on anything else.

They carried Yin Tianfang into the room. Staring at him as he lay unconscious, Nuo Lan was plagued by worry, memories of the time he had succumbed to demonic influence haunting her mind.

“Senior Sister, what’s wrong with Tianfang?” Ge Bin asked anxiously. Yin Tianfang’s sudden frenzy had been alarming; if they’d discovered him any later, the consequences would have been dire. Never had he seen such a state before.

“Go find Elder Xuanyin and tell him everything. My Melody of Subduing Demons can suppress his demonic nature for a while, but I fear it won’t hold for long.”

Ge Bin nodded and hurried off.

Back at the southern peaks of Xuandao Sect, after returning, Ye Tianxing ran straight to where Daoist Huanglong resided.

“That brat survived?” Daoist Huanglong shot up from his chair, voice cold as ice after hearing Ye Tianxing’s report.

“Not only is he alive, he’s at Xuandao Sect. Clearly, Elder Wuchen’s death is linked to Xuandao Sect; otherwise, why would they shelter the boy?”

Daoist Huanglong strode out of his room and headed directly for the sect’s main peak.

“Qianchuan, come out here!” he bellowed before the great hall atop the main peak. His voice, laced with spiritual power, thundered across the mountain, echoing through the sky like rolling thunder.