Chapter 163 - 162: Qin Yang: Master Has Already Left Jianghai

Not far from Sword Valley.

A sea of trees rustled, and a gentle breeze caressed his face.

Qin Yang stood atop a thousand-year-old pine tree, gazing into the distance.

After a moment,

A streak of purple light flew out of the gorge, tore through the void, and returned, landing in his palm where it transformed into a miniature version of the Ziwei Divine Sword.

’I made it back, at least.’

With a flip of his hand, Qin Yang recalled the Ziwei. His Spiritual Power spread out around him, scanning for any nearby danger, and confirmed the absence of any powerful auras.

Only then did he finally relax.

’Minions and boss eliminated. No risk of a final boss... I’m safe!’

’They even sent a Half-step Venerable Powerhouse. Looks like these guys are dead set on killing me,’

Qin Yang gazed at the pale, inky thunderclouds above Sword Valley and couldn’t help but sigh. ’That was way too close. Good thing I sent my clone, or I’d have been seriously injured.’

’A Venerable Realm cultivator, self-destructing? What the hell?’

’All I did was kite you for a bit!’

’If you can’t handle losing, don’t play!’

’So... is this so-called Divine Sect just built on a foundation of self-destruction?’

Qin Yang frowned, recalling the cultist who had brought a Star Stone Bomb into the library last time. It seemed to be their standard operating procedure.

’Every last one of them is a human bomb!’

’The small fry self-destruct, and the big shots self-destruct.’

’Even someone in the Venerable Realm self-destructs!’

’If I hadn’t used a decoy this time, I would’ve been a goner for sure!’

’Right. I’ll have to be even more careful from now on!’

Qin Yang mused as he flew down from the ancient pine and began to stroll through the forest. At the same time, he felt a twinge of regret.

’Killing that black-robed man and the masked elder didn’t trigger a system reward this time.’

’According to the system’s logic, they probably would have died within the next five hundred years anyway. Their ashes would’ve long since scattered to the winds...’

’Tsk, don’t tell me they just blew themselves up in some obscure corner somewhere?’

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed to Qin Yang.

’It’s practically a tenet of their faith at this point.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete loss.

After that battle, he had gained new insights into the Venerable Realm.

It couldn’t be helped.

The masked elder had forcibly ascended to the Venerable Realm and used his very life as a bomb... giving me a live demonstration of how to use the Power of Laws. In some mysterious way, his actions aligned with the Laws of the Celestial Dao!

He taught me a lesson with his own life.

’...It’d be a real shame not to have a breakthrough after all that. I’d be letting the old guy down,’

Qin Yang smiled faintly. He did a quick mental calculation and estimated that he would be able to fully break through to the Venerable Realm within a few days.

’All thanks to the elder’s hands-on lesson.’

’My thanks for this gift from nature!’

A rustle stirred the grass in the woods.

His figure flickered and vanished into the vast expanse of the pine forest.

........

News of the incident at Sword God Valley spread, throwing Jianghai City into a state of panic. A massive, city-wide search was launched to root out every Cult stronghold.

The Beast Tide was imminent, after all.

And now they had to deal with traitors in their midst?

With threats from both within and without, the city was doomed!

The Chief Commander increased police presence, and bomb disposal squads were mobilized, fanning out across every corner of the city in a sweeping search.

Overnight, the city was plunged into turmoil.

That night in Jianghai City, explosions rocked the northern and southern districts. The air filled with the stench of blood and gunpowder as police sirens wailed through the streets and alleys until dawn.

Meanwhile, the online buzz surrounding the Jianghai Sword God was skyrocketing.

As soon as people realized there was money to be made by impersonating the Jianghai Sword God, marketing accounts leaped at the opportunity. Overnight, several new video channels claiming to be the "Jianghai Sword God" popped up out of nowhere.

However, they didn’t last more than a few hours before the platforms identified them, terminating their accounts and taking down their content.

....

The next morning, Qin Yang arrived at the library to check in. He glanced toward the smoke rising from the northwest of the city, then turned back just in time to see Li Qinghe approaching.

"Master, good morning!"

Li Qinghe walked over with a wide smile, holding a bag of breakfast. She enthusiastically handed it to Qin Yang. "I brought you breakfast. Enjoy."

"What’s this? Weren’t you calling me cold-blooded just yesterday?"

Qin Yang rolled his eyes, pulled out a chair in the outdoor seating area, and sat down. "I, your master, love to hear it," he said irritably. "Go on, curse me out some more... I much prefer your usual rebellious attitude."

"Aww, don’t be like that, Master..."

Li Qinghe looked aggrieved at his words and poked her fingers together. "I know I was wrong.

I was just being ignorant. Now I understand. You must have notified Grandmaster, which is why you were able to just slack off at the library."

As she spoke, she sat down across from him, opened the food container, and picked out a crispy chicken strip. "Here, let me feed you, Master."

"No need. I have hands!"

Qin Yang picked up his chopsticks and deftly took the container from her. ’Waste not, want not,’ he thought. He was starving anyway, so he immediately started gnawing on the chicken leg inside.

"Slow down, Master. I’ve got more if that’s not enough."

Seeing Qin Yang eat the breakfast, Li Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "You didn’t come to Sword God Valley yesterday, so you have no idea how incredible the scene was. Grandmaster’s power was absolutely breathtaking!"

"..."

Qin Yang simply lowered his head and continued to wolf down his food, ignoring her and quietly listening to her ramble on.

"He used the Celestial Curtain as an Array Map! That so-called Half-step Venerable Realm expert was like a fish on a chopping block in his hands, completely at his mercy! By the way, just what level is Grandmaster’s skill in Arrays?"

Silence.

Qin Yang didn’t respond. He just kept eating.

Li Qinghe frowned, staring at him as he ate. Her fists clenched in frustration.

’He’s ignoring me again!’

’Okay, just hold it in for now!’

’Endure the hardship for future revenge!’

’Once I meet Grandmaster, I’ll make you pay for every bit of this frustration!’

’I can’t mess up my grand plan to raise my seniority!’

With that in mind,

Li Qinghe swallowed her frustration, slowly walked up behind Qin Yang, and began to massage his shoulders, an obsequious look on her face.

"So, Master, when do you think I can meet Grandmaster in person?"

"I have so many questions I want to ask him."

Silence.

SNAP—

Qin Yang snapped the container shut, folded the plastic box, and tossed it into the trash can under the table. He took out a napkin to wipe his mouth and said,

"The time is not yet right."

"Not this again?!"

Li Qinghe’s face fell, instantly annoyed. "You say that every time, Master! ’Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and...’ Hey, where are you going, Master!"

"To take a piss."

Qin Yang gave a casual excuse to get rid of Li Qinghe and walked slowly to his usual slacking spot in Area 1. He was just about to resume his ’work’ and sink into the Enlightenment Space.

The library was quiet and peaceful in the early morning.

However, he had only been meditating for a few minutes when...

Li Zixuan suddenly came through the revolving doors at the entrance. She walked directly toward him and stopped.

"Senior Brother, good morning."

Li Zixuan tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear and got straight to the point. "Are you free right now? There’s something I need to ask you..."

"Sigh. It’s about Master, isn’t it?" Qin Yang sighed.

"Um, yes. Sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother."

Li Zixuan shuffled her feet, looking a little embarrassed. "Yesterday, Master took action and killed that Demon. He must still be in Jianghai. Can you help me contact him?"

Li Zixuan then crouched down and said softly, "Just tell him I really want to see him. Please, Senior Brother, I’m begging you."

"..."

Qin Yang lied without a shred of compassion.

"He already left Jianghai yesterday."