Chapter 140 Who dares to touch my people?

With a loud boom, the gates of Purple Bamboo Palace swung open to both sides.

In that instant, it felt as though an ancient Vicious Beast had awakened from its slumber.

The air outside the gates froze instantly.

Standing at the very front was a black-robed deacon from the Law Enforcement Hall named Wang Meng. Behind him followed two rows of fully armed Disciples of Enforcement, each gripping a disciplinary rod with a menacing look.

But the moment the gates opened, Wang Meng felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his crown.

Leng Yueli stood barefoot on the cool jade floor, her purple skirt fluttering without a breeze.

Her stunning, peerless face carried a hint of languor, yet it was filled with a suffocating coldness.

Half a step behind her, Su Ye was leisurely smoothing out his slightly disheveled collar, a faint, imperceptible smile on his face—a classic example of 'fox borrowing the tiger's might'.

"Just now, who was it that said they wanted to take away my Disciple?"

Leng Yueli's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced the ears of everyone present like an ice pick stabbing into their bone marrow.

Wang Meng swallowed hard, forced himself to build up his courage, and took a step forward, cupping his hands in a salute: "Peak Master Leng, this subordinate is merely acting under orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Under the orders of the Grand Elder, and in accordance with the Sect's Laws!"

Wang Meng pulled out a black mysterious iron token and declared loudly: "Someone reported that last night, the Head Disciple of Purple Bamboo Peak, Su Ye, left the mountain without permission, acting suspiciously, and is suspected of meeting with members of the Devilish Cult. The Law Enforcement Hall must bring him back for interrogation. I ask that Peak Master Leng does not obstruct us!"

"Obstruct?"

Leng Yueli chuckled softly, a flash of mockery in her eyes, "If I truly wanted to obstruct you, you would already be a dead man."

Before the words had even faded, a terrifying Aura descended abruptly.

Thump!

Thump!

Those two rows of Disciples of Enforcement didn't even have time to groan before they instantly collapsed to the ground, their kneecaps emitting a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

Although Wang Meng was at the Golden Core Stage, he was pressed down until his back was hunched, cold sweat pouring down like rain.

"Revered Master, please go easy."

Su Ye poked his head out from behind, advising with a look of 'innocence', "After all, this is the flooring of our Primordial Origin Holy Land. If it breaks, it will be expensive to repair."

"Slick-tongued."

Leng Yueli turned back and rolled her eyes at him, the myriad of charms revealed in that gaze leaving everyone present stunned.

Is this really the Leng Yueli Fairy who is known as the 'Ten Thousand Year Iceberg'?

"Su Ye! Stop putting on an act!"

Wang Meng gritted his teeth, staring at Su Ye and roaring, "Where exactly did you go last night? If you cannot explain it clearly, it is ironclad proof of collusion with the Devilish Cult!"

Just then, several rapid whistling sounds of air being broken came from afar.

"Let's see who dares touch my Senior Brother!"

A fiery red figure descended like a shooting star, smashing heavily in front of the crowd from the Law Enforcement Hall.

Amidst the flying dust, Jiang Wanyin held a Scarlet Flame Whip, her willow eyebrows arched, and her peach-blossom eyes filled with Evil Qi.

Immediately following, an extreme cold air permeated the area.

Lin Qingzhu was as white as snow, like a Fairy of the Moon descending to the mortal world, the Cold Ice Sword in her hand already unsheathed, its tip pointing directly at Wang Meng's throat.

"If you want to take away my Senior Brother, ask the sword in my hand first."

The last to arrive was Qin Yuruo.

This girl ran until she was out of breath, clutching a large handful of unknown poisonous pills and Talismans in her hands, looking as if she were ready to perish together with someone.

"Who... who dares to bully my Senior Brother, I will blow them to death!"

Looking at the three Junior Sisters standing in front of him, a warm current surged in Su Ye's heart, but more than that... it was a headache.

Is this display a bit too much?

If they find out that he was 'colluding' on Revered Master's bed last night, the consequences...

"You all are rebelling!"

Seeing this, Wang Meng was so angry he laughed, "Is Purple Bamboo Peak going to openly oppose the Law Enforcement Hall? This is a capital crime against the Sect!"

"Rebelling?"

Leng Yueli slowly walked forward, and with every step she took, the surrounding temperature dropped by a few degrees.

She extended a slender, jade-like finger and gently lifted Wang Meng's chin, a flirtatious action that carried lethal danger.

"My Disciple was in my bedchamber all night long last night."

The entire scene fell dead silent.

Even the three Junior Sisters, who were originally aggressive, were stunned, their weapons nearly falling to the ground.

"Wha... what?" Jiang Wanyin widened her eyes, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Revered Master and Senior Brother.

"All night?" Lin Qingzhu's hand gripping her sword trembled slightly.

"In the bedchamber?" Qin Yuruo covered her mouth.

Su Ye felt his back go cold, mourning in his heart: Revered Master, could you please not be so honest at a time like this! How is this supposed to be interpreted!

Wang Meng was also stupefied, stammering: "This... how is this possible? A man and a woman, alone in one room..."

"Slap!"

A crisp sound of a slap rang out.

Wang Meng flew out like a spinning top, slamming heavily into a stone pillar in the distance, half his face instantly swelling into a pig's head.

Leng Yueli leisurely retracted her hand and took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe it, as if she had touched something dirty.

"When I act, why do I need to explain to you?"

She surveyed the surroundings, her gaze disdainful, "Since you say Su Ye colluded with the Devilish Cult, then I might as well tell you that he was protecting the Dharma for me, helping me Cultivate a peerless divine art."

"What? Are you suspecting that I have colluded with the Devilish Cult?"

"No... dare not!"

The group of Disciples of Enforcement were already terrified to the point of their souls flying away and spirits scattering, desperately kowtowing.

At this moment, a hoarse and majestic voice suddenly came from the sky.

"Junior Martial Niece Leng, what a grand display of power."

Clouds churned as an old man in a black and gold robe stepped through the air.

His face was sinister, with a hooked nose and eyes as sharp as knives, his entire body radiating the terrifying Aura of the Peak of the Mahayana Stage.

The Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, Zhao Wuji.

He was also a close ally of Qian Tongshen and the mastermind behind this operation.

"Grand Elder!"

Wang Meng on the ground seemed to have seen a savior, crying out, "You must uphold justice for your subordinate! Purple Bamboo Peak is trying to revolt!"

Zhao Wuji landed on the plaza, his cold gaze fixed on Su Ye, then turned to Leng Yueli.

"Junior Martial Niece Leng, even if you are a Peak Revered Master, you cannot harbor a criminal. Su Ye still has Devilish Qi on him and must follow me back to the Law Enforcement Hall to undergo 'Soul Searching' to prove his innocence."

Soul Searching!

As soon as these two words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically.

The art of Soul Searching is extremely tyrannical; once performed, the subject will, at best, become an idiot, and at worst, will have their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering on the spot.

This is not an interrogation; it is clearly an attempt to put Su Ye to death!

"Old thing, you dare!"

Jiang Wanyin flicked the long whip in her hand and was about to rush up, but was repelled several steps by an invisible force, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"Hmph, when Elders are speaking, where is your place to interrupt?" Zhao Wuji snorted coldly.

"You hurt my Junior Sister?"

Su Ye's eyes instantly turned cold.

He stepped out, blocking in front of his three Junior Sisters. Although his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the ruthlessness emanating from his bones actually made Zhao Wuji pause slightly.

"Zhao Wuji."

Leng Yueli, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

She was not angry, and her expression was even quite calm.

But those who knew her knew that this was the calm before the storm.

"You want to search my Disciple's soul?"

"Exactly." Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, looking official, "For the safety of the Sect, I ask Junior Martial Niece Leng to facilitate this."

"Facilitate?"

A cruel arc curled at the corners of Leng Yueli's mouth.

"Are you worthy?"

Boom—!!!

A vast, boundless, and terrifying Aura that transcended all living beings erupted from her body without reservation.

That was not just the spiritual power of the Mahayana Stage.

That was an Aura that carried a trace of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, transcending into holiness!

The heavens changed color, and the winds and clouds rolled backward.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire Purple Bamboo Peak boiled at this moment, as if surrendering to this power.

Zhao Wuji's originally triumphant face instantly turned as pale as paper.

His knees trembled uncontrollably, the spiritual power in his body seemed frozen, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

"Half... Half-Saint?!"

He screamed in terror, his voice as sharp as a rooster with its neck being pinched.

"How is this possible! You have been trapped at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage for three hundred years, how could you step into the Half-Saint Realm overnight?!"

Leng Yueli did not answer.

She just looked at him quietly, as if looking at an ant.

"That palm just now, was it you who struck?"

She pointed at the injured Jiang Wanyin.

"No... Junior Martial Niece Leng, this is all a misunderstanding..."

"Crack!"

Before Zhao Wuji could finish his sentence, his left arm was directly twisted and broken by an invisible force.

"Ah—!!!"

The scream of a Mahayana Stage powerhouse resounded through the clouds.

"This arm is for my Disciple."

Leng Yueli's tone was indifferent, "Also, Su Ye is my person. You want to search his soul, do you also want to search my soul?"

"I dare not! This old man... no, this subordinate is guilty! This subordinate will get out now!"

Zhao Wuji clutched his broken arm, no longer having any of the arrogant air from before.

Facing a Half-Saint, let alone him, even if the Holy Revered Master came, they would have to show some respect.

He cast a resentful look at Su Ye and gritted his teeth, "Since it is Leng... Saintess Leng personally vouching for him, then it was this old man who was abrupt. Withdraw!"

With that, he took his defeated troops and fled from Purple Bamboo Peak in a sorry state.

On the plaza, quiet was restored.

There was only the rustling of the wind through the bamboo forest.

"Revered Master... mighty!"

Qin Yuruo was the first to react, cheering and rushing over, but was stopped by Leng Yueli with a single finger on her forehead.

"Stand still."

Leng Yueli restrained her Aura and returned to the appearance of that cold Peak Revered Master.

Only her face was a bit pale; clearly, that outburst just now was quite a drain on her, who had just broken through.

Su Ye wanted to step forward to support her with a heart full of pity, but was frozen in place by three sharp gazes.

"Senior Brother."

Lin Qingzhu sheathed her sword, her beautiful eyes staring fixedly at Su Ye's neck.

There, there was a dark red mark, as if bitten by a mosquito, or perhaps... some kind of indescribable trace.

"Last night... in Revered Master's bedchamber... protecting the Dharma?"

Lin Qingzhu's voice was cold, but carried a hint of trembling, "Does protecting the Dharma require taking off clothes?"

Su Ye subconsciously covered his neck, cold sweat instantly breaking out.

Oh no!

That was bitten by Revered Master when she was moved last night!

"Cough cough, that..." Su Ye's brain worked at high speed, "The situation was critical at the time. To help me open my Ren and Du meridians, Revered Master used... acupuncture! Yes, acupuncture!"

"Does acupuncture leave marks like this?" Jiang Wanyin leaned over, suspiciously sniffing the scent on Su Ye's body.

Besides the faint medicinal fragrance, there was an extremely rich scent of cold plum blossoms.

That was the unique body scent of Revered Master.

Moreover, it was so rich that it was as if he had been marinated in it.

"And Senior Brother, your cultivation..."

Jiang Wanyin suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Su Ye as if she had seen a ghost, "Foundation Establishment... 7th Layer?! Weren't you only Foundation Establishment 5th Layer yesterday? No, yesterday morning you were still at the Qi Refinement Stage!"

"Breaking through two minor Realms in one night?"

The three Junior Sisters looked at each other, the suspicion in their eyes deepening.

Can protecting the Dharma produce this kind of effect?

Is this the legendary 'Spiritual Intercourse'?

"What are you all arguing about here?"

Leng Yueli suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of unnaturalness.

She glared fiercely at Su Ye, seemingly blaming him for not covering the marks properly.

“Although Su Ye has achieved a Breakthrough, his Foundation is not yet stable. Last night, I exhausted my Origin to cleanse his marrow and tendons, which is why he has reached his current progress.”

“As for you, on the other hand.”

Leng Yueli straightened her face, putting on her Revered Master's dignity. “You don't Cultivate properly on normal days, and when you encounter trouble, you only know how to shout. If I hadn't intervened just now, were you planning to risk your lives against Zhao Wuji?”

“With your amateur skills, were you just going to throw your lives away?”

The three Junior Sisters were scolded into lowering their heads, not daring to refute.

“All of you, get back and go into seclusion!”

Leng Yueli waved her sleeve, issuing an order to leave. “Until the Seven Peaks Martial Competition begins, no one is allowed to come out!”

“Yes...”

The three responded aggrievedly and left, looking back every few steps.

Before leaving, Jiang Wanyin glared fiercely at Su Ye and made a gesture indicating, “I'll settle the score with you later.”

Lin Qingzhu took a deep look at Leng Yueli, her eyes complex and hard to read.

Only Qin Yurou naively thought the Senior Brother had truly suffered greatly, and as she left, she shouted, “Senior Brother, I'll bring you some restorative pills later!”

After everyone left, the doors of the Purple Bamboo Palace closed tightly once more.

“Phew...”

Su Ye let out a long breath, his whole body leaning against the pillar behind him as if he had no bones.

“Scared the life out of me. This isn't a Shura field; it's a death trap.”

“What? Do you feel sorry for your Junior Sisters?”

A faint voice sounded in his ear.

Leng Yueli had arrived beside him at some point, her phoenix eyes looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“Just now, when Jiang Wanyin was injured, I saw you were very heartbroken. You even dared to contradict a Mahayana Stage Elder for her sake.”

“How come I didn't know when my Disciple became such a hero saving a beauty?”

A strong scent of jealousy permeated the air.

Su Ye's heart tightened.

This is a bonus question! Must answer well!

He wrapped his arms around Leng Yueli's waist and pulled her into his embrace, not caring that they were in the solemn Great Hall.

“Revered Master, the vinegar you're drinking is so sour that my teeth are about to fall out.”

Su Ye leaned in with a cheeky grin and pecked Leng Yueli on her stunning face.

“In that situation just now, if I had chickened out, that would have been the real loss of face for you, Revered Master.”

“Besides...”

Su Ye put away his smile, his gaze becoming profound and serious.

Looking at Leng Yueli's slightly pale face, he reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

“The one who truly makes me feel heartbroken is you.”

“Having just achieved a Breakthrough to the Half-Saint level, you forced yourself to use Saintly power while your Realm was unstable. You must be feeling terrible inside, right?”

Leng Yueli, who had been pretending to be angry, instantly softened when she heard this.

She hummed and buried her head in Su Ye's chest, like a lazy cat.

“At least you still have a conscience.”

“However...” She lifted her head, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes. “Since you know I'm not feeling well, how do you intend to compensate me?”

Su Ye was stunned for a moment, then felt his waist tighten.

“Revered Master, d-didn't we just finish? Even the donkeys on the production team need a rest!”

“Enough nonsense.”

Leng Yueli hooked her arms around his neck, her red lips slightly parted, her breath like orchids.

“That was to deal with outsiders.”

“Now...”

“I need to check whether you have fully refined the Spiritual Qi you absorbed last night.”

“If it's not clean...”

She swept her gaze downwards, “Then we will continue to refine.”

“...”

Su Ye wanted to cry but had no tears.

What a sin!

Is this the cold and aloof Revered Master? This is clearly a succubus who eats people without spitting out the bones!

But looking at the expectant eyes of the beauty in his arms, Su Ye gritted his teeth and stomped his foot.

“Fine, I'll do it!”

“As long as Revered Master is happy, I will risk my life to accompany you!”

“Smart mouth.”

Leng Yueli chuckled and waved her purple sleeve.

The Formation in the Great Hall opened once again, isolating everything from outside prying eyes.

For the next three days, Purple Bamboo Peak was eerily quiet.

Outside, because of the news of the Peak Master of Purple Bamboo Peak achieving a Breakthrough to the Half-Saint level, the world was in an uproar. Countless Elders and Peak Revered Masters wanted to come and visit, but they were all turned away by Leng Yueli under the pretext of “seclusion to stabilize the Realm.”

But in reality, inside the Purple Bamboo Palace, a brutal special training was taking place.

“Too slow!”

“That's not how you use a sword! Be fast! Be ruthless!”

“Again!”

In the training room, Su Ye was panting like an ox, soaked in sweat.

Opposite him, Leng Yueli held a bamboo strip, mercilessly whipping his body.

Each strike precisely avoided his vital points, yet was able to make him feel pain deep into his marrow, thereby stimulating the potential of his Physical Body.

“Revered Master... this special training is too brutal...” Su Ye climbed up, grimacing.

“Brutal?”

Leng Yueli sneered. “When you enter the Netherworld Secret Realm, you will find that every blade of grass and tree there is a hundred times more vicious than your Revered Master.”

“Since Qian Tongshen dared to open the Secret Realm trial, he must have made full preparations.”

“Li Dao Xuan of Heavenly Sword Peak, Kuang Zhan of Tyrant Blade Peak, and that beast-taming maniac from Ten Thousand Beast Peak... every one of them is at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage or even the Golden Core Stage.”

“Moreover, they must be carrying trump cards specifically targeting you.”

Speaking of this, a flash of worry appeared in Leng Yueli's eyes.

She walked up to Su Ye, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and her tone softened.

“Yeer, although I am a Half-Saint, there are ancient Restrictions in the Secret Realm, and powerful experts cannot enter.”

“Once you go in, your life and death will depend on yourself.”

“Therefore, even if I let you shed more blood now, it is still better than losing your life when the time comes.”

Su Ye held her hand and kissed it.

“Don't worry, Revered Master.”

“My life was given by you, Revered Master. I haven't served you enough yet, how could I bear to die?”

“Besides...”

A sharp gleam flashed in Su Ye's eyes, the confidence belonging to a Transmigrator.

“They have trump cards, but do I not have any?”

“In these three days, Revered Master, you have drained me... cough, cough, you have transferred your Spiritual Qi to me, making my Foundation as deep as an Archaic Savage Elephant.”

“Plus the ‘equipment’ given by those Junior Sisters, who knows who will be hunting whom when I go in this time.”

Leng Yueli's pretty face flushed at his word “drained,” and she gave him a light, annoyed knock.

“Be serious!”

Just then, the Restriction outside the palace was triggered.

A Utility Disciple's voice came trembling:

“Reporting to the Peak Revered Master! The Taichu Saintess... Murong Xue, has come to visit!”

Saintess Murong Xue?

Su Ye and Leng Yueli were both stunned.

This name was thunderous in the Primordial Origin Holy Land.

She was the Personal Disciple of the Holy Revered Master, born with a “Dao Embryo,” hailed as the number one Genius of the Eastern Wasteland. She usually kept to herself, and her cold aloofness was even greater than that of Leng Yueli.

In the original plot, this woman was a huge problem.

What is she here for?

“Let her in.” Leng Yueli frowned and tidied her clothes.

A moment later.

An ethereal, Fairy-like figure walked into the Great Hall.

She was wearing a plain white Daoist robe, her face covered with a veil, revealing only a pair of eyes that seemed to contain the sea of stars.

That temperament, untainted by worldly affairs, felt as if she would ride the wind and return to the heavens at any moment.

“Junior Martial Uncle Leng of Purple Bamboo Peak, your Junior Murong Xue greets you.”

Murong Xue bowed slightly, her voice as clear and cold as the tinkling of a spring.

Subsequently, her gaze passed over Leng Yueli and landed on Su Ye.

At that moment.

Su Ye felt as if he had been targeted by a prehistoric giant beast.

In Murong Xue's eyes, there was a trace of inquiry, a trace of curiosity, and a trace of... inexplicable hostility?

“You are Su Ye?”

She walked up to Su Ye and looked him up and down.

“You certainly have a good appearance; no wonder you can make the three Junior Sisters of Purple Bamboo Peak infatuated with you.”

“Even...”

She glanced at Leng Yueli and said something shocking:

“Even Junior Martial Uncle Leng's Dao Heart has been disrupted.”

“Presumptuous!”

Leng Yueli's face darkened, her Half-Saint Aura brewing. “Murong Xue, it is true that you are the Saintess, but in front of me, it is not your place to point fingers!”

Murong Xue was not afraid at all.

She smiled faintly, took out a gold-embossed invitation from her sleeve, and handed it to Su Ye.

“This Junior has no malicious intent.”

“I am merely acting on my Revered Master's orders to deliver a message.”

“Three days later, the Netherworld Secret Realm will open. But on the eve of the opening, Heavenly Sword Peak is hosting a ‘Dao Discussion Tea Party,’ inviting the Chief Disciples of the Seven Peaks to attend.”

“Junior Martial Brother Su, you are the ‘protagonist’ of this tea party.”

When she said the word “protagonist,” she deliberately emphasized her tone.

Su Ye took the invitation, feeling that this thin piece of paper was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

A Dao Discussion Tea Party?

This was clearly the prelude to a “Hongmen Banquet”!

Are they trying to give me a show of force and probe my bottom line before entering the Secret Realm?

“Many thanks for the information, Senior Sister Saintess.”

Su Ye put away the invitation calmly, wearing his signature fake smile.

“Since everyone has kindly invited me, I will naturally attend on time.”

“Not only will I go, but I will also bring some ‘local specialties’ to properly entertain all the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters.”

Murong Xue took a deep look at him.

“Interesting.”

“I hope you can still laugh when the time comes.”

After saying this, she turned and left without any hesitation.

She left behind only a faint, lingering scent of lotus flowers.

Watching her back, Leng Yueli's face looked somewhat unsightly.

“This girl is also an ungrateful wolf. If it weren't for me back then...”

She stopped mid-sentence and shook her head.

“Yeer, you don't have to go to this tea party.”

“No, I must go.”

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Su Ye's eyes.

He turned around, looked at Leng Yueli, and a wicked smile curved at the corners of his mouth.

“If I don't go, how can I let them know...”

“The current Senior Brother of Purple Bamboo Peak is no longer that soft persimmon that anyone can knead.”

“Besides.”

Su Ye clenched his fists, feeling the surging Seventh Level Foundation Establishment Spiritual Qi within him.

“I also want to see if these so-called ‘Prodigies’ can withstand a single punch from me.”

Meanwhile.

In the shadows beneath Purple Bamboo Peak.

Three sneaky little heads gathered together.

“Did you see clearly? Who was that woman?” Jiang Wanyin asked, gritting her teeth.

“It seems to be... the Saintess Murong Xue,” Qin Yurou said in a low voice.

“The Saintess?” Lin Qingzhu narrowed her eyes, and the surrounding plants instantly froze. “What did she come to find the Senior Brother for? Could it be... she also wants to snatch the Senior Brother?”

“No way!”

Jiang Wanyin slapped her thigh. “Guard against fire, theft, and the Revered Master... wait, phew, guard against outsiders!”

“We must formulate a ‘Protect Senior Brother's Chastity’ battle plan!”

“Seconded.”

“Agreed.”

In the wind, the vows of the three Junior Sisters filled with fighting spirit could be heard.

And Su Ye, who was completely unaware of this, suddenly felt a chill on his back and let out a big sneeze.

“Achoo—!”

“Who is cursing me?”