Chapter 152: A Different Azure Pool Sword Sect

Che Wuyou felt a sudden chill in his heart as he met Yang Ping’s abruptly sinister gaze. Before he could fully process the underlying meaning of Yang Ping's words, he hastily said, "Since the Senior has put it that way, this junior will naturally obey. As for what the Senior has said today, I have already forgotten all about it."

With that, Che Wuyou turned to look at Zhang Qing'er. Seeing the utter indignation in her eyes, he knew she had grasped Yang Ping's intent. He hurriedly shot her a look and prompted, "Lady Zhang, you have forgotten it too, haven't you?"

Noticing a hint of hesitation on Zhang Qing'er's face, Yang Ping sneered coldly, "Little brother, this Lady Zhang seems quite unyielding. Hmph... If she weren't someone the Sect Master needs, then—" Suddenly, a fierce, murderous glare flashed in his eyes, and he made a ruthless execution gesture directly in front of Zhang Qing'er, making no effort to conceal it.

Zhang Qing'er’s face instantly turned ashen. She could sense that Yang Ping's aura had locked onto her, even though Che Wuyou was standing between them. Perhaps Yang Ping harbored some reservation on account of Che Wuyou; otherwise, Zhang Qing'er would already be a cold corpse. To Yang Ping, taking her life would be as effortless as lifting a finger.

"You dare!" Che Wuyou suddenly shouted sternly. "Heh, although Lady Zhang is not someone the Sect Master requires, if you dare so much as lay a finger on her, I will risk my life to expose you before the Sect Master..."

"You were blinded by greed and planted false rumors in order to rob the disciples entering the tower. When your intentions were exposed, you tried to silence us by killing us. If I report all of this to Sect Master Li, even with the backing of the mighty Yang family, you will likely not escape with your life." Standing in front of Zhang Qing'er, Che Wuyou found it somewhat difficult even to stand under the crushing pressure of Yang Ping's aura, yet he glared with lowered brows, refusing to yield an inch.

"You brat truly think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Yang Ping's eyes flashed with a ferocious light, and his aura gradually began to climb. "To tell you the truth, an untold number of youths have already died upon entering the Heaven-Reaching Tower. If I were to eliminate you right now, who would ever know it was my doing? They would most likely assume you simply had bad luck and perished within the tower."

Che Wuyou had also heard from Yun Fan that the first two floors of the Heaven-Reaching Tower could be monitored by the Azure Pond Sword Sect. However, beyond the third floor, the sect could no longer monitor anything. Since he had not given up on the first two floors, stepping onto the third floor meant that even the Azure Pond Sword Sect could no longer be certain of whether he was dead or alive...

Since Yang Ping dared to commit robbery here, he was likely well aware of these circumstances and had probably done the exact same thing before. Realizing this, Che Wuyou's expression shifted drastically. If Yang Ping truly killed them both right now, destroyed their bodies, and seized their treasures, it would all happen without a soul ever knowing.

"If that's the case, then kill us if you must!" Che Wuyou said, his tone remaining cold. "I'm afraid you still have reservations in your heart. If it were truly as effortless as you claim, you wouldn't need to waste so much time talking to me. You would have killed us and taken our treasures the very moment you laid eyes on me."

True to his words, as soon as Che Wuyou finished speaking, Yang Ping's expression flickered through several changes before he slowly reined in his aura. His face still icy, he said, "Since you insist on protecting this Lady Zhang, I expect you to make sure she keeps her mouth shut, or else... I imagine you understand the consequences without me having to spell them out. There is one more thing I must tell you: the Azure Pond Sword Sect is not as simple as you imagine, and Sect Master Li does not have the final say on everything." With that, Yang Ping shot up into the sky and vanished from sight in an instant.

In truth, what Che Wuyou did not know was that Yang Ping genuinely did have reservations. If it were someone the Azure Pond Sword Sect paid little attention to, Yang Ping could have snuffed them out without a second thought, and in the end, no one would have cared, naturally assuming they had perished within the Heaven-Reaching Tower. But if it were someone watched by the upper echelons of the sect, and they were to vanish so inexplicably, the sect would inevitably take notice and might even investigate the cause.

Although prying into karmic causes and effects required vast amounts of energy—with more complex matters consuming even more, especially when involving the Heaven-Reaching Tower—a botched attempt could severely damage one's vitality. Yet Che Wuyou was a figure noticed by many powerful entities within Azure Pond; if he were to simply vanish? Yang Ping dared not take that risk, for he had no desire to be buried alongside Che Wuyou.

In reality, Li Muqiu's current attitude toward Che Wuyou was somewhat ambiguous. On one hand, he hoped Che Wuyou could extract the Deficiency-Mending Pill from his own blood to cure Li Yiqiu's illness. At the bottom of his heart, however, he still distrusted Che Wuyou; after all, Che Wuyou was simply far too young. Although certain claims Che Wuyou made had caused Li Muqiu to waver momentarily, to make him pay a huge price at the Pill Pavilion to procure the Void-Leaving Grass still made Li Muqiu deeply hesitant.

After all, even a grandmaster of alchemy like Elder Qingdan—a peak tier-three alchemist who was merely a hair's breadth away from entering the fourth tier—was utterly helpless against Li Yiqiu's condition and lacked confidence in extracting the Deficiency-Mending Pill from Che Wuyou's blood. How could Li Muqiu place great confidence in a child who was merely a tier-one alchemist? Of course, Li Muqiu was currently unaware that Che Wuyou had already stepped into the realm of a tier-two alchemist. Had he known, he undoubtedly would have been astonished, though how much trust he would place in Che Wuyou remains unknown.

Li Muqiu had indeed previously entertained the thought of refining Che Wuyou into a human pill, and remnants of that idea still lingered. Yet Li Muqiu harbored deep misgivings regarding Li Yiqiu's temperament, knowing full well how unyielding his daughter truly was. If he were to actually go through with it, he would undoubtedly be driving his own daughter to her death, which was why he dared not take such a risk.

Due to these various reasons, Li Muqiu's current attitude toward Che Wuyou was largely one of laissez-faire. On one hand, he hoped for a miraculous means by which Che Wuyou might cure his daughter; on the other, he preferred to let nature take its course. The Heaven-Reaching Tower was both an opportunity Li Muqiu granted to Che Wuyou and a chance for himself. If Che Wuyou managed to push through or acquire certain treasures, it would naturally be his fortune; if he met with some accident inside the tower, it could only be blamed on his fate, which would incidentally rid Li Muqiu of a great deal of trouble...

After Yang Ping departed, the color slowly returned to Zhang Qing'er's delicate face, though lingering fear gripped her at the memory of what had just transpired. She truly never expected that such events would occur within an orthodox giant of the cultivation world like the Azure Pond Sword Sect—the very foundation of the Immortal Alliance.

Che Wuyou, however, felt relatively composed. Back in the Miao family, he had encountered Miao Shilin, who had plotted endlessly against the Che family out of vengeance. After leaving the Miao family, he had run into Li Muqiu, who had actually contemplated refining him into a human pill simply to heal his own daughter. Thus, he regained his composure rather quickly; perhaps this truly was the real world of cultivation he was coming to understand—cruel, cold, and devoid of bottom lines.