The Arrival of the Qiu Family Head

Even as Xian Chengyue moved, many disciples were bleeding from their mouths and noses, and had the protective barrier been deployed a moment later, the consequences would have been dire.

Suddenly, a serene, moon-like white figure tore through the sky, revealing none other than Mu Qingli.

Confronted by a terrifying pressure capable of shattering the very void, she did not retreat; instead, she surged forward.

The Sect Master’s treasured sword, now a piercing white rainbow, emanated a fierce sword intent that compelled the beautiful woman’s pupils to contract sharply.

The beautiful woman found herself with no alternative but to face this heaven-piercing strike head-on!

At that very moment, the beautiful woman felt a sudden stiffness seize her body, impeding even the circulation of her spiritual energy.

No, it was more than just her internal energy; the spiritual energy of the surrounding space itself seemed to have frozen solid!

Within moments, frost adorned her hair, and a delicate white sheen coated her dark robe.

‘This familiar sensation… could she be the successor of that individual?’ she mused.

‘What a pity, though; she still lacks the crucial refinement! Had that person come in person, I fear I would have been powerless, forced to watch this strike land.’

‘And you, a mere successor who has yet to fully mature, dare to dream of contending with me?’

With a furious roar, the beautiful woman unleashed a strike, her surging spiritual energy violently tearing through Mu Qingli’s serene, icy tide.

Behind her, the churning thunderclouds instantly coalesced into a colossal, dark-green claw, so vast it blotted out the very sun.

Thousands of violet lightning bolts, coiling like ancient dragons, wrapped around it, imbued with the void-shattering might of destruction, plunging downwards to utterly engulf Mu Qingli.

Despite years spent within the sect, recuperating and refining her cultivation, Mu Qingli’s innate combat instincts remained undiminished, sharp as ever.

Confronting this cataclysmic strike, a cold, fierce light blazed in her eyes, and the entirety of her Profound Yin energy coalesced onto the tip of her sword.

With a swift rotation of her fair wrist, the pristine white longsword hummed and vibrated, its tip accumulating frost inch by inch until it manifested as a frosty ribbon of energy, piercing through heaven and earth.

Without the slightest hesitation or evasion, it cleaved directly towards the descending thunderous giant claw!

“Boom—rumble!!”

Two colossal, heaven-shattering forces collided with earth-rending might, their impact instantly unleashing a blinding flash that consumed all visibility!

Even the magnificent sun disc, high in the firmament, paled in comparison.

As the searing luminescence, potent enough to scorch the very soul, slowly receded, the onlookers frantically gazed upon the scene, only to discover that the serene, moon-like figure was already gravely wounded!

Mu Qingli’s Xuan Nv robe was rent in numerous places, with bloodstains saturating the fabric around her shoulders and arms.

Her pristine white jade arm, fractured inch by inch from the horrific impact, was a stark contrast to her long, dark hair, which cascaded like an ink waterfall, wildly fluttering in the turbulent winds.

In stark contrast, the beautiful woman opposite her had sustained only a minor tear at her fingertip, betraying not the slightest hint of substantial injury.

The profound disparity in their strength was glaringly obvious.

A slight tremor ran through Mu Qingli’s hand, yet her voice resonated with an unyielding clarity and power, devoid of either subservience or arrogance:

“Has Your Excellency not acted with undue haste? We have inflicted no harm upon Qiu Yue, yet you have injured my sect’s disciples. What justification can you possibly offer for such an act?!”

Even as Mu Qingli’s challenging words hung in the air, countless figures swiftly flew to position themselves behind her.

Among them were not only Qing You, Xian Chengyue, and Zhao Qiubai, but also a figure strikingly familiar to Lin Mo—Yang Po Po.

In that critical moment, all internal divisions vanished; only a profound solemnity and a collective resolve to face their powerful foe remained.

At this juncture, no one dwelled on Mu Qingli’s identity; they simply stood united behind her, becoming her steadfast backbone.

The beautiful woman, observing the formidable figures rapidly gathering below, displayed not a shred of fear; instead, her fury intensified.

“Hmph, I am Qiu Jingwen, the current Family Head of the Qiu family!” she declared, her voice sharp and frigid. “My daughter, Qiu Yue, has been exquisitely cared for by you all, it seems.”

Her gaze, sharp as a sword, pierced through the protective barrier, instantly fixating on Lin Mo below and Qiu Yue, who lay sprawled on the ground in a pitiful state.

Upon witnessing her daughter’s condition, the killing intent in Qiu Jingwen’s eyes solidified into an almost tangible presence.

“Madam Qiu, there must be a profound misunderstanding in this matter!” one of the elders interjected. “Your daughter, Qiu Yue, is a core disciple of our sect; there has been absolutely no abduction, nor any malicious framing. Furthermore, no harm whatsoever has been inflicted upon her! A mere glance will confirm that Qiu Yue has not sustained any substantial injury! Yet, for you to indiscriminately unleash such a ferocious attack, destroying our sect’s protective enchantments and injuring our disciples—do you not find this entirely improper?”

“Improper?” Qiu Jingwen’s voice cut through the air, sharp and sinister, like arctic ice scraping against raw iron. “Is it considered proper, then, to allow your disciples to maliciously frame my daughter? Does a lack of physical injury equate to no harm at all? Do you truly believe I am utterly oblivious to what transpired? Do you imagine I would remain ignorant while you permitted others to maliciously slander my daughter, shattering her dao heart and spirit?! If I do not receive a comprehensive explanation today, I shall overturn the very foundations of the Xuan Nv Sect!”

“Madam Qiu!” Grand Elder Qing You’s voice abruptly rose, imbued with an unprecedented blend of firmness and gravity. In that moment, her face bore none of the sharp acrimony she typically displayed when vying with Mu Qingli; only the solemn authority befitting the Grand Elder of the Xuan Nv Sect shone through.

“The truth of this matter, its rights and wrongs, will naturally be thoroughly investigated by our sect, and we shall provide the Qiu family with a full account! However, for you to disregard all reason, brazenly destroy our sect’s protective formation, injure our Sect Master, and even attempt to slay our personal disciples! Are such actions meant to imply that our Xuan Nv Sect is utterly devoid of capable defenders?!”

“Do you even have the right to speak?!” Qiu Jingwen retorted, her voice dripping with disdain. “Setting aside how you supposedly enticed my daughter into the Xuan Nv Sect, as a master, you stood idly by when your disciple faced humiliation! You even allowed mere baseless words to render you speechless, demonstrating nothing but utter incompetence!”

With these words, she raised her hand and unleashed a fierce, direct attack towards Mu Qingli.

Yet, at that critical juncture, Mu Qingli deftly parried it with a single sword stroke!

Though the impact forced her to retreat a considerable distance, not a hint of trepidation flickered in her eyes.

“Has Madam Qiu not acted with undue haste?” Xian Chengyue’s voice, cold as ten thousand years of profound ice, immediately followed.

With a mere flicker of her form, she materialized before Qing You and Mu Qingli, subtly but firmly challenging Qiu Jingwen’s thunderous pressure, creating an even balance.

Indeed, with Zhao Qiubai now joining them, Qiu Jingwen’s imposing aura seemed to wane ever so slightly.

“Madam Qiu, your esteemed daughter, Qiu Yue, stands accused of attempting to harm a fellow disciple. We are presently in the midst of a thorough investigation; by forcibly intervening at this critical juncture, are you not attempting to shield your own daughter, thereby openly defying the rules and regulations of my Xuan Nv Sect?!”

“Hmph! Investigation? Regulations?” Qiu Jingwen’s eyes were alight with utter disdain. “If my daughter has erred, she will be disciplined according to the Qiu family’s own laws! It is certainly not for your insignificant Xuan Nv Sect to dictate terms! Today, I will take Yue’er away, and as for this vile wretch who dared to slander my Yue’er…” Her eyes blazed with an overwhelming surge of killing intent. “She must die!”

Before her words had even fully faded, Qiu Jingwen launched a ferocious assault!

This was no longer a mere probing display of power, but a genuine killing blow!

Her delicate hand clenched, and the vast thunderclouds above instantly collapsed, coalescing into a colossal violet lightning claw—more condensed, more terrifying than its predecessor.

Mysterious lightning patterns even faintly shimmered within the very palm of the claw!

The monstrous claw tore through the sky, imbued with world-ending might, its trajectory aimed directly at—Lin Mo!

“Impudence!”

“Never!”

“Form the array!”

Several furious shouts erupted almost simultaneously, cutting through the tense air!

The numerous elders, now holding nothing back, unleashed their full power.

Qing You, her hands forming intricate seals, manifested a profound, sea-green light barrier that instantly unfurled before her.

Vines intricately intertwined across its surface, where life and death seemed to interweave, revealing her ultimate, hidden defensive divine ability—

“Azure Sea and Green Sky Barrier!”

Xian Chengyue, producing her Disciplinary Ruler, caused it to flare with brilliant light, its phantom images instantaneously multiplying into thousands.

These layered images formed an impenetrable, mystical wall of rulers, upon which ancient runes flowed, emanating an awe-inspiring aura capable of sealing and judging all—

“Heavenly Net Disciplinary Wall!”

Zhao Qiubai, Yang Po Po, and the other arriving elders and deacons, without exchanging a single word, instantly resonated their spiritual energy, each displaying their unique proficiencies.

Sword light, talismans, and the shimmering radiance of various magic artifacts intertwined and blazed, as layers of defensive spells—some sharp, some substantial, some agile—stacked relentlessly upon one another.

Beyond the formidable Azure Sea and Green Sky Barrier and the Heavenly Net Disciplinary Wall, they erected several additional, exceptionally resilient barriers!

Meanwhile, the injured Mu Qingli, despite her slightly disordered aura, maintained a gaze as piercingly sharp as it had been from the outset.

She made no choice to defend; instead, she forcefully expelled every last vestige of Profound Yin energy remaining within her body!

Her treasured sword hummed and vibrated in her grasp, its tip aimed directly at the descending thunderous giant claw, as an ice-cold sword intent, condensed to its absolute zenith, surged skyward!

This sword intent was no longer a broad area attack; rather, it channeled all its formidable power into a singular point, carrying an unyielding, resolute determination to pierce the very core of the thunder!

Beneath the fractured firmament, thunderous light and sword radiance clashed in a furious confrontation, the destructive aura so intense it seemed to ignite the very air!

“Do you truly intend to wage war with me, merely to protect a single disciple? Do not assume that the Xuan Nv Sect can still claim to be the number one righteous path without your full strength! And do not, for a moment, believe that I have come alone this time.”

With a command, Qiu Jingwen tore open the void, and Qiu family powerhouses surged forth like an endless ocean, layer upon layer.

The last to appear was Old Ancestor Qiu, his body wreathed in the laws of desolation, his mere gaze causing the Xuan Nv Sect’s protective grand array to shatter like thin ice, inch by fragile inch.

“So be it. For the sake of my granddaughter, if I must emerge from seclusion, then so be it.”

Just as Old Ancestor Qiu raised his withered hand, poised to crush Lin Mo, a voice, a mere whisper echoing through time, suddenly emanated from deep within the Xuan Nv Sect: “Qiu Ku, you go too far.”

That voice, though soft, caused Old Ancestor Qiu’s pupils to contract sharply, his raised, withered claw freezing rigidly in mid-air…

No! It wasn’t just Old Ancestor Qiu; all the elder generation of the Xuan Nv Sect recognized it.

Indeed, who across the lands would not know this sovereign?

That voice belonged to a legend from the past—

“You… Lin… you’re not dead yet?!”