Chapter 30: The Death of Yang Lie! Tension Between Yang Yun and Yu Qing!
When Yang Lie heard this, panic gripped his heart, but he quickly regained his composure and flatly denied it.
“What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean! Yusuo Peak? Senior Brother Qi? I don’t know anything about them.”
A cold laugh escaped Shen Yan’s lips. He was in no hurry to press Yang Lie, who had denied everything so adamantly. Instead, he sat down leisurely on a boulder and continued,
“But you’ve already taken the Qi-Nourishing Pill given to you by Senior Brother Qi. One pill isn’t enough to help you break through to the Qi Refining stage, but even from a distance, I could smell the spiritual energy from the pill. If I report today’s events to the peak master, do you think, with his cultivation, he couldn’t easily tell who’s lying?”
“You... you...” Yang Lie was so startled by Shen Yan’s words that he stumbled over his reply. But coming from a noble background, he quickly steadied himself.
“So what? As long as I go back and tell my eldest sister what happened, who do you think she’ll believe—me or you?”
Shen Yan nodded, his voice tinged with approval.
“Not bad. You’re pretty clever.”
But his tone shifted as he continued,
“Right now, the struggle on Jingyun Island appears to be between Jinmiao Peak and Yunxiu Peak, while Yusuo Peak waits quietly in the shadows. If the peak master and Yu Qing fight each other to the bitter end, and Yusuo Peak swoops in to reap the benefits, what do you think the peak master would do to you then?”
Though Shen Yan rarely paid attention to affairs on Jingyun Island, he was by no means ignorant. Jingyun Island was the external stronghold of the Jade Immortal Sect, and the highest authority there was, naturally, the late-stage Nascent Soul elder. But this elder only involved himself in disputes between true disciples, leaving all other matters unattended.
Originally, the true disciple of Yusuo Peak kept to himself, and Yang Yun’s only rival was Yu Qing. But now, her own brother was secretly working for someone from Yusuo Peak—against her, no less. If word got out, even as her blood brother, Yang Lie would pay dearly.
By rights, Yang Lie should have realized the consequences. But at this moment, his mind was clouded by his obsession with reaching the Qi Refining stage and stepping onto the path of immortality. He gave no thought to how Yang Yun would deal with him.
“Hmph, that wretched woman. If she won’t help me cultivate, am I not allowed to work for it myself?”
“Well said!”
Shen Yan’s sudden praise left Yang Lie momentarily dumbfounded.
“What... what did you say?”
Spreading his hands, Shen Yan beamed.
“I said I admire you. If everyone in the Yang family thought like you, dealing with her would be much easier for me.”
He shook his head with a hint of regret and continued,
“Unfortunately, your father and the rest of your family obey Yang Yun’s every word. There’s no chance they’ll go against her.”
“You’re planning to go against my sister?”
Yang Lie stared at Shen Yan in disbelief, his voice thick with suspicion. “Weren’t you personally cultivated by her? Or are you resentful that she took the spiritual treasures you found?”
Shen Yan shook his head without explaining. His gaze turned cold as he looked at Yang Lie.
“Young lord, a handful of spiritual items means nothing to me.”
Yang Lie grew more perplexed, forgetting even to wonder whether Shen Yan would return to Gaomi.
“So what are you after?”
“Nothing less than the destruction of your Yang family.”
As soon as Shen Yan finished speaking, before Yang Lie could even react, he summoned the profound heavy water, which appeared in the air and crushed Yang Lie into a mangled pulp.
“Your sudden disappearance from Yunxiu Peak, as Yang Yun’s own brother, will be enough to ignite a fierce conflict between the two true disciples.”
After observing Yang Lie’s dealings with Senior Brother Qi, Shen Yan had considered using the Heavenly Serpent Breath Concealing Art to disguise himself as Yang Lie and secretly incite a struggle between the true disciples of Yusuo Peak and Yang Yun. But on reflection, there was no guarantee Yusuo Peak would act according to his plan. It was far simpler to let Jinmiao Peak shoulder the blame for Yang Lie’s death and provoke a full-scale conflict between Yu Qing and Yang Yun.
Once that happened, Yusuo Peak would need no further prompting. Driven by the promise of the legendary treasure on Yunxiu Peak, they would take the initiative to target Yang Yun.
Two established true disciples against a newcomer—Yang Yun’s odds would be slim indeed.
When the time came, dealing with Yang Yun would be as easy as turning his hand!
After using the rain to cleanse all traces from the scene, Shen Yan took the storage pouch that Senior Brother Qi had given Yang Lie. Confirming that nothing had been overlooked, he returned to the Tranquil Heart Lodge to continue cultivating the subsequent stages of the Water Origin Technique and practicing the secret art of Ice Condensation.
...
Seven days later, word spread across Yunxiu Peak: the peak master’s own brother, Yang Lie, had vanished.
From the sect’s roster, Yang Yun confirmed that Yang Lie was dead.
In that instant, everyone on Jingyun Island understood—there could be no reconciliation between Jinmiao Peak and Yunxiu Peak.
The last time the two true disciples clashed, it was over the disappearance of three outer disciples from Jinmiao Peak. But those were only Yu Qing’s nominal disciples, their status far beneath that of Yang Lie.
Now, with the stakes so high, even the island’s elder could not intervene. After all, striking down a true disciple’s blood relative was a declaration of utter hostility. To interfere again would be seen as siding with Yu Qing, and if Yang Yun appealed to the Jade Immortal Sect, the elder himself would be implicated.
...
Within the main hall of Jinmiao Peak, Yu Qing’s face was dark as thunder as he glared at the disciples kneeling below.
“Who killed Yang Lie? Whoever did it, step forward now. If I have to find out myself...”
His cultivation had reached the peak of early Nascent Soul. With enough spiritual energy, he could break through to mid-Nascent Soul, and upon death, his posthumous status as an elder would surpass even that of a true disciple. Dealing with Yang Yun would have been a simple task.
But now, everything had been ruined by these incompetent disciples. Last time, they had targeted Yang Lie and disfigured him; this time, they had gone further and killed him outright.
With Yang Yun’s brother dead, there could be no end to their enmity. How could Yu Qing focus on advancing his cultivation now?
Yet the disciples exchanged glances in silence, none daring to confess.
Yu Qing’s face grew even gloomier.
...
In the main hall of Yunxiu Peak, Yang Yun sat at the head of the room, her expression icy as she looked down at Ming Yu, who was kneeling on the floor.
“Have you found the murderer of Yang Lie? Or has anyone from Jinmiao Peak confessed?”
Ming Yu trembled like a leaf, her voice quavering.
“Peak... Peak Master, there’s been no progress...”
“Useless!” Yang Yun snapped, her exquisite features cold and severe as she hurled her teacup at Ming Yu.
“Keep investigating! If you come back empty-handed in three days, or if no one from Jinmiao Peak confesses, then tell Yu Qing I’ll meet him on the dueling platform.”
Yang Yun was truly enraged now. Last time, she had backed down after Yu Qing lost three disciples. Of the six people she had brought, four had died, and even her own brother had been disfigured.
Now Yu Qing had gone too far—she would not back down again.
“Yu Qing, if I don’t strip you of your status as a true disciple this time, I’ll renounce my family name!”
With a bang, she slammed her palm down, true energy surging and shattering the tiles of the main hall floor.