Lin Yun looked at Qiao Xuan with a sense of helplessness. He had to admit, the man had said almost everything he himself had been about to say.
"Alright, since you're so smart, you should understand my purpose for coming here to find you. You'd best tell me honestly now: where is the Vajra Sect being held, and what is their condition?"
Although he knew that Lin Yun had already rescued many disciples from the righteous sects, Qiao Xuan truly couldn't understand why he would travel a thousand li just to come here and rescue the Vajra Sect, with whom he had never even met.
"Your Excellency's strength is indeed great," Qiao Xuan began, choosing his words carefully. "But the Myriad Evils Valley is filled with countless experts. Under our control, the Vajra Sect has no hope of escape. If Your Excellency tries to force a rescue, you will only plunge yourself into a land of no return."
Lin Yun laughed aloud. "I am already here. Do you think I ever considered retreating? For my generation of sword cultivators, we fight against the impossible."
Qiao Xuan's eyes widened. It wasn't that he had never seen a sword cultivator before, but he had never met one like Lin Yun. To do something knowing it was impossible sounded foolish, but if one succeeded, it became a miracle, a tale to be praised in song.
"The Vajra Sect is at the Myriad Evils Valley's main garrison," Qiao Xuan said.
Lin Yun sucked in a cold breath. He had originally thought it would be like the previous situations, where the captives were guarded by a few reasonably strong thugs. He never expected them to be at the enemy's main base. Rescuing them single-handedly would be incredibly difficult.
"And how did all of you get here?" Lin Yun asked, remembering a suspicion he had held for a long time.
The heretical sects shouldn't have known the coordinates of the Spirit Realm, which meant they couldn't summon the teleportation array. The Daye and Wuqian Dynasties were supposed to be extremely cautious about this. Moreover, Nether Cave Mountain was one of the most heavily defended locations between the two dynasties. No matter how bold these evil sects were, they couldn't have just waltzed in.
Qiao Xuan didn't dare to hide anything. His life was in Lin Yun's hands. He spilled everything in one go.
"For some unknown reason, the Crimson Ghost Sect found a backdoor into the Spirit Realm. By entering through there, we can bypass the rules. As long as we don't frequently unleash our full power, we won't be punished by the realm's laws!"
Lin Yun wasn't sure what Qiao Xuan meant by this. Perhaps he was trying to make him retreat in the face of difficulty. He had assumed that the Crimson Ghost Sect and the Myriad Evils Valley, like the righteous sects, were limited to the Spirit Cauldron Realm at their peak. And that the two powerful figures he had seen before were just more terrifying in their aura.
Now, it seemed that was completely wrong. It wasn't just their aura that was special. Their actual strength was also exceptionally powerful. This was definitely not good news for the current Lin Yun.
"I've told you everything I know. I beg Your Excellency to spare my life. I promise I won't speak nonsense when I get back," Qiao Xuan said with an awkward smile.
But the moment he finished speaking, his head was separated from his body. The one who struck, however, was not Lin Yun.
"You clearly could have stopped him before he revealed these truths," Lin Yun said, turning to his left. "But you didn't. Instead, you waited until I knew everything, and then you killed him. I wonder what you mean by this."
Jiang Qingshuang slowly walked out. "When I do things, I never concern myself with right or wrong. I act purely based on my preference. If his mouth had been a little tighter, I might have spared him."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Lin Yun. "Heroes emerge from the young. It seems the fortune of the Beast Taming Sect is not yet severed. But what a pity for you. Your good luck has come to an end."
Lin Yun noted that Jiang Qingshuang wasn't wearing any weapons or treasures. Her fingernails, however, were long and slender, yet sharp as daggers. Just by standing there, the aura emanating from her was enough to instill deep fear.
Wen Da fell directly to his knees. "Senior, spare me! I had absolutely no intention of betraying the Crimson Ghost Sect!"
Jiang Qingshuang glanced at Wen Da and sneered. She merely waved her hand. An invisible blade of Qi shot out. Lin Yun sidestepped to dodge it.
Wen Da was not so lucky. He remained in his kowtowing posture, but a cloud of blood mist erupted from his body. In an instant, he had been reduced to a pile of flesh.
"Such a cruel technique," Lin Yun observed, looking at Jiang Qingshuang. This woman appeared harmless to man and beast, but when she struck, she showed not a shred of mercy. Wen Da would never have imagined that he would die at the hands of his own people.
"They were just insignificant people," she said. "I came all this way specifically for you."
The Crimson Ghost Sect's plan was imminent. Everything was already in place. She wouldn't allow a single Lin Yun to disrupt it all.
"I heard you performed quite well at the Chen Family Fort." Jiang Qingshuang sized up Lin Yun. It was a pity that at the time, she had been engaged with the upper echelons of the Flowing Cloud Sect and had not witnessed the boy's methods herself. But looking at him now… an Origin Sea Realm youth, even at his absolute best, should have the early Sky-Soaring Realm as his limit. An existence like herself was something he could never hope to defeat.
"But I am very curious. When you face me, do you still think you have a chance of winning?"
A cold sweat broke out on Lin Yun. This woman could chat and laugh so jovially, yet her words were laced with a biting killing intent.
"You are indeed a very strong opponent," Lin Yun said with a smile. "But I'm not so bad myself. Though my realm is lower than yours, if you were to give me a few free moves, I would surely kill you."
He dared to say this, of course, because he had seen Jiang Qingshuang's panel.
[Name]: Jiang Qingshuang
[Realm]: Myriad Law - Stage 3
[Destiny Template]: Femme Fatale (Purple)
[Attributes]: Serves with Beauty (Blue), Snake-and-Scorpion Beauty (Blue), Obsession Maniac (Black)
[Fate]: Is ambushed and severely injured during an internal conflict in the Crimson Ghost Sect, later flees to Wuli Mountain and dies of her injuries.
[Recent Turning Point]: Pursues the Spirit Realm resistance fighters, but because she underestimates Lin Yun, she is severely injured by a single arrow from his God-Slaying Bow.
The panel was truly a great help. It effortlessly let Lin Yun know what to do. To defeat Jiang Qingshuang, he would have to put on a good show. At this thought, Lin Yun took a deep breath.
And just as he'd expected, Jiang Qingshuang reacted.
"An Origin Sea cultivator. Never mind a few moves. So what if I give you ten? You don't really believe you can do anything to me with your pathetic Origin Sea Realm, do you?" she sneered.
If she could lose in this situation, she might as well go roll in the mud and raise pigs.
The young generation these days, one was more arrogant than the next. But if you actually put them to the test, not a single one of them could fight. Wasn't Xiao Pingtian a perfect example? she thought with a cold, internal laugh.