Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 532: Conflict

In the quiet room of the chancellor's residence, faint wisps of smoke still lingered in the air.

A masked figure in black stood respectfully before the table. "As per your order, Chancellor, I have retrieved the jade pendant," he said, placing the pendant engraved with the character "Shen" on the table.

"Last night, I sustained some minor injuries and had to find a place to treat my wounds before returning, which was why I came back late. I hope you will forgive the delay."

Su Qian still maintained the appearance of a middle-aged scholar. With his delicate features and gentle demeanor, he looked rather feminine. Yet, when his brows arched, the subtle shift in his expression revealed a hidden and unyielding authority.

"You've done well. Why would I blame you?" Su Qian replied with a faint smile. "Shen Qingyan managed to wound you with her divine skills? It seems her cultivation is truly impressive."

The man in black froze for a moment. Why does he sound pleased that I was hurt? By that logic, would he be overjoyed and praise her strength even more if she had beaten me to death?

Though these thoughts raced through his mind, he didn't dare voice them.

Instead, he nodded and said, "Indeed. Even setting aside her musical prowess, Shen Qingyan's cultivation alone ranks her among the finest in the members of the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten."

"Hehe," Su Qian chuckled softly, shaking his head before continuing, "You've accomplished a great deed this time, so you deserve a reward. I'll personally see to it that the materials for the Night-Traversing Armor you requested are gathered, and I’ll have the Sword Forging Sect craft it for you. Don't you worry about this."

"Thank you, Chancellor," the man in black quickly expressed his gratitude.

"As for the Assembly of Immortal Sects, more than half of the eight major sects participated. However, the Shadow Sect, to which you belong, could not. I know this must have upset you, even if you haven't said so aloud," Su Qian added. "Therefore, I owe you anyway."

"As your subordinate, I would never dare harbor such thoughts," the man in black replied immediately. "It is only through the Chancellor's favor that the Shadow Sect was able to rise again. How could I ever disobey your orders?"

Unlike the Sword Forging Sect and Earthfire Sect, which were both established and nurtured under Su Qian’s guidance, the Shadow Sect was an ancient sect with a history spanning thousands of years.

This sect, renowned for its mastery of stealth and concealment, had always walked a fine line between righteousness and darkness. Over a century ago, under the leadership of an evil sect leader, the Shadow Sect strayed from its original path and ventured into darker dealings, engaging in theft and assassinations for hire.

This dark business was a perfect fit for their skills in stealth and concealment. Naturally, the Shadow Sect thrived, growing more prosperous through these shady activities.

But within a few decades, the Shadow Sect stirred up too much trouble, drawing the attention of the imperial court. They were wiped out, with only a few survivors left, and the sect's legacy was nearly erased.

At that critical moment, it was Su Qian who found the few remaining members of the Shadow Sect. He provided them the resources and support they needed to rebuild and grow stronger. After more than ten years of development, the sect was brought back to life.

Even though they still carried out shady dealings, things naturally changed when they had someone powerful backing them.

"It's good that you think this way," Su Qian said calmly. "The Assembly of Immortal Sects may bring fame, but it isn’t the right stage for your sect. A sect like the Shadow Sect thrives in the shadows, and if your methods become too well-known, you'd lose your greatest advantage. Besides, for the tasks I need you to handle, it’s best if people know as little about your sect as possible."

"I understand," the man in black replied. "The Shadow Sect will follow your orders without question, Chancellor."

"Good. Now, continue to keep an eye on Shen Qingyan. Report any unusual activity to me immediately," Su Qian instructed. "However, she’ll be more alert after your last encounter, so you must be even more careful now."

"As you command," the man in black responded before silently slipping away.

After the man in black had left, Su Qian slowly reached out and picked up the jade pendant from the table.

In his palm, the pendant began to glow softly, its faint light flickering in the dim, shadowy room, making it all the more striking.

Snap.

With a swift motion, Su Qian flipped his hand and clenched his fist. The jade pendant shattered instantly, crumbling into fine powder.

Then, a look of relief spread across his face.

...

"Brother Chu!" a voice called out from a distance.

A group of familiar faces approached Chu Liang. All of them were beaming with smiles.

"Brother Yun?" Chu Liang uttered as he turned to look behind him.

Sure enough, Yun Chaoxian of the Great Astral Sect was leading the group. Behind him were the ever-silent Ren Hongdao, the stern-faced Li Fujian, and the adorably naive Tang Shi.

At the back of the group was Zhang Juque, the one accompanying the Great Astral Sect’s representative team this time. He had been silently watching from behind, which explained why Li Fujian was so nervous.

"Heheh, it's been a while," Yun Chaoxian said with a grin.

Chu Liang greeted them before asking, "Why did you all arrive so late?"

Over the past few days, disciples from the sects of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten had been arriving one after another at the residences on the Emperor's Mound. The Great Astral Sect, however, was among the last to arrive.

Yun Chaoxian began to explain. "We were doing some closed-door cultivation to prepare for the Assembly of Immortal Sects—"

But before he could finish, Tang Shi chimed in from behind, "We got the date wrong."

"Haha," Chu Liang chuckled.

The young girl was certainly honest, but Chu Liang was still puzzled.

He said, "But there are so many of you..."

"We all got it wrong," Yun Chaoxian admitted.

Impressive, Chu Liang thought. As expected of the Great Astral Sect disciples, they really do share one brain.

"And I was the one who remembered the date closest to the real one," Yun Chaoxian added, looking rather proud of himself.

"Brother Yun, you're truly wise and brave," Chu Liang couldn't help but praise.

Looking again at the disciples of the Great Astral Sect, Chu Liang noticed a clear change in their demeanor. Their qi and blood were now more refined, giving them a calm and composed presence. Typically, martial cultivators radiate their vitality outward, but it was evident they had learned to contain it.

It was clear that their special training had been intense.

As Chu Liang was chatting with the Great Astral Sect disciples, a small commotion arose behind him.

At this moment, the Great Selection of the Four Seas was nearing its end, and the commencement ceremony was about to begin.

Disciples from the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten had gathered, their presence appearing rather dazzling in the moment.

The names that people had only read about in the news or heard through rumors were now standing right before them, drawing all attention away from the arena and toward the gathering of disciples below.

Suddenly, a child darted in front of Jiang Yuebai.

The child, appearing around eleven or twelve years old, was relatively short for his age, making him seem even younger. However, his face held a strange, sinister charm that didn’t match his youthful appearance.

"You must be Jiang Yuebai from Mount Shu, right? You’re really beautiful," the child said boldly. "Marry me and be my wife."

The crowd immediately turned their attention to the scene. Many may have shared the same thought, but few would have dared to say it aloud—let alone to Jiang Yuebai’s face.

Seeing that it was a child who made the bold statement, the crowd chuckled, treating it as nothing more than a lighthearted joke.

"Whose foolish child is this? Don't his parents watch him?" some of Jiang Yuebai's supporters angrily shouted.

"Wait, that’s... Qi Lin'er from the Penglai Supreme Sect!" someone in the crowd recognized the child.

Jiang Yuebai could sense that the child's cultivation was not weak, but since he was a child, she couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. She merely frowned slightly and turned away, choosing to ignore him.

But Qi Lin'er wasn’t finished. He quickly darted in front of Jiang Yuebai again, this time speaking with a serious tone. "Xi Miaoxian was here first, so she’s my first wife. You came later, so you’ll be my second wife. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll treat you both well. Hehe, come with me."

Seeing that Jiang Yuebai remained unmoved, Qi Lin'er spread his hands and added, "What future do you have in a lousy place like the Mount Shu Sect? Marry me, and you can live on Mirage Mountain. I advise you not to be ungrateful."

At this moment, Chu Liang noticed the situation and stepped forward, ready to chase away the brat who was clearly lost in delusions.

But Jiang Yuebai grabbed his wrist and said softly, "I’ll handle this myself."

With a swift step forward, her figure blurred as she appeared right in front of Qi Lin'er, extending a single finger.

Bang.

She jabbed Qi Lin'er on the forehead with just one finger.

Qi Lin'er, still wearing a smug, dismissive smile, seemed unconcerned as Jiang Yuebai made her move. But then came a dull thud, and his entire body was flung into the air, somersaulting before crashing to the ground.

As he looked up again, his face was now covered in dust.

"You dare hit me?" Qi Lin'er's eyes widened in disbelief.

He wasn’t exactly shocked by Jiang Yuebai’s act of hitting him. What truly stunned him was the fact that she had actually managed to move him.

As someone born with copper skin and iron bones, he had reached a high level of cultivation since a young age. Since young, he had never suffered. Given his age, he could have waited another twelve years to join the next Assembly of Immortal Sects. None would have been able to beat him by then.

But he believed that even now, no one could match him, which was why he insisted on joining this assembly.

He hadn’t expected to face a setback from this woman before the competition had even begun.

For a moment, he was completely stunned.

Even Jiang Yuebai was slightly surprised. She had sensed that the child’s cultivation was extraordinary, so she had used seventy percent of her strength in the initial jab.

Still, that force exerted could not even move the child. It was only when she had exerted her full power that she was able to send the child flying.

The fact that the Penglai Supreme Sect had sent this child to participate in the Assembly of Immortal Sects clearly showed that he possessed extraordinary mystical abilities.

But in this situation, Jiang Yuebai now had the upper hand, and that was enough.

With a slight flick of her sleeve, Jiang Yuebai coldly said, "As the head disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, I can forgive your disrespect toward me because of your young age. But since you insulted my sect publicly, I cannot let it go without punishing you."

She stood proudly as her white dress fluttered gracefully in the wind.

"You—"

Qi Lin'er, his face covered in dust, was about to erupt in anger when he suddenly felt someone press down on the back of his neck. The moment he felt the pressure, his anger was immediately stifled in his throat.

A team from the Penglai Supreme Sect emerged from the crowd, led by a man whose face was as aloof as cold jade. His eyes gleamed with divine light, and he looked so handsome that he appeared otherworldly. This was none other than Yang Shenlong, the head disciple of the Penglai Supreme Sect.

Behind him were his brother Yang Yuhu, Xi Miaoxian, as well as the Slaves of the Five Sacred Mountains[1], each with their own distinct and unique presence. As this group walked forward, their aura radiated a silent warning, urging others to keep their distance. Both cultivators and ordinary people in the crowd instinctively backed off.

It was Yang Shenlong who had grabbed Qi Lin'er by the neck and pushed him down. Instantly, Qi Lin'er was overwhelmed with fear, unable to speak, completely subdued by the presence of someone senior in his own team.

"This child was naughty. It’s our fault for not disciplining him properly. I hope the head disciple of the Mount Shu Sect can forgive him," Yang Shenlong said calmly. He paused briefly before adding, "We can settle any conflicts between us during the Competition of the Hundred Sects. How does that sound?"

The surrounding crowd burst into murmurs, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The first half of Yang Shenlong’s words seemed like an apology to the Mount Shu Sect, but the second half felt more like a challenge. Though his tone was polite, there was a clear hint of provocation.

In reality, Yang Shenlong's first sentence was meant for Jiang Yuebai, asking for forgiveness. The second sentence, though, was a message to Qi Lin'er. As the head disciple, he couldn’t always protect his own people without good reason, or others would stop trusting him. But if he only controlled his peers without standing up for them, he’d lose respect.

Making such a decision in that instant was already a perfect response.

Sure enough, after Yang Shenlong spoke, the restless Qi Lin'er immediately calmed down. He knew that once the Competition of the Hundred Sects began, he could settle his grievances then.

Now, all the pressure fell on Jiang Yuebai. If she backed down in the face of this provocation from one of the strongest immortal sects, it would destroy the Mount Shu Sect’s reputation. But if she accepted the challenge, could the Mount Shu Sect team really handle being targeted by the Penglai Supreme Sect during the Competition of the Hundred Sects?

Chu Liang, Xu Ziyang, Ling Ao, and even Wang Xuanling gathered around Jiang Yuebai, yet none stepped forward and helped Jiang Yuebai as they knew that it was the head disciple's responsibility to handle this.

Facing the tense atmosphere and strong presence of qi, Jiang Yuebai's expression remained unchanged. She simply replied in a calm and composed manner, "We shall see."

1. We had this as Wuyue Mountain Slaves previously. Realised belatedly that it refers to five mountains that Daoists hold sacred. ☜