Chapter 840: Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four: Taking a Different Path


    The sword light bristled with a killing intent, and within it, a phoenix’s cry could be heard, indicating not only exquisite swordsmanship but also a remarkable Divine Sword.


    At present, the only one on Bifang Mountain with such swordsmanship proficiency, aside from the Xu n’s envoy of Yuanzhou, would be no other.


    In just a matter of breaths, a beam of light appeared and crossed over a peak, stopping in the southern sky, where the golden light dissipated, revealing a tall, slender young man holding a golden longsword that zed with a ghostly me.


    At this moment, Xu Old Ying was full of killing intent. His misty peach blossom eyes were fierce as he stared at Bu Xiao on the cloud tform and demanded, “Brother Bu, why do you protect such a sinister person who provokes discord among the three great sacrednds?”


    Until just a moment ago, Bu Xiao had maintained hisposure, but his expression suddenly changed. He could never have imagined that Xu Old Ying would air this matter publicly.


    Bu Chun, who had been meditating behind closed doors on the cloud tform, opened his eyes abruptly upon hearing Xu Old Ying’s words. The once gentle-looking elder grew incredibly stern and asked Bu Xiao in a deep voice, “What is going on!?”


    Bu Xiao was not only responsible for the martial arts tournament but also the current Dao Child of Martial Saint Mountain, and was expected to be at least a lord of a mountain one day.


    Bu Chun allowed Bu Xiao to freely punish any family or sect participating in thepetition, for it was merely a game created by Martial Saint Mountain and the Beast Taming Sect, intended for the youth to interact and exchange.


    While noble families might see it as an opportunity not to be missed, in the eyes of Martial Saint Mountain, it was nothing but a trivial activity for the young ones to vie over.


    However, the sacrednds were different. Whether it was Buddha’s Country in Zhongzhou or the Xu n in Yuanzhou, both were entities that Martial Saint Mountain sought to court earnestly. This was not just because of the ancient ties that had been passed down, but also due to the many close coborations between sacrednds. Martial Saint Mountain, as a martial arts research institution, had always prided itself on neutrality and strove to maintain rtions with all sacrednds.


    Especially with the Xu n from Yuanzhou, many of Martial Saint Mountain’s martial arts research integrating bloodlines required the support of the Xu n.


    The martial arts tournament was just a game, and stopping it would not matter, but if rtions with the Xu n broke down, many research projects would stall, and the extensive resources invested initially would go to waste. Therefore, in Bu Chun’s view, a disciple who provoked discord among the three parties deserved death!


    When Bu Xiao heard the old grandmaster beside him questioning, his heart was filled with bitterness. He had not anticipated that things would escte to this point, and his friend’s questioning left him unable to respond. However, he knew that Xu Old Ying, who had returned from Hundred Herbs Immortal Mansion, was already aware of Duan Qianchou’s existence, and it was certain that he could no longer hide it.


    So, his only option was to cover for him, responding bluntly, “Brother Xu, even if it was Duan Qianchou who led the Buddha Son to the herbal valley, it was with the intention of healing the sick. Afterwards, when the Buddha Son saw the exceptional Tang Xing and wanted to pass on his mantle, that was a tremendous fortune. If Brother Xu says this is about sowing discord between the three sacrednds, forgive me, but I must disagree!”


    Rather than addressing Xu Old Ying, these words were more of a response to Bu Chun. Bu Xiao could only frame the situation as a coincidence, as a well-intended act, to minimize the me on Duan Qianchou.


    But he was also aware that this was merely his stance, for he had no way to exin why Duan Qianchou, the leading disciple of Dapeng Mountain, appeared on Bifang Mountain.


    However, faced with the current sudden development, he had no time to think further. He only wished to secure a favorable oue for his cousin as best as he could.


    Yet, this prepared defense only incensed Xu Old Ying further. “If you knew about Duan Qianchou’s actions beforehand, why didn’t you stop him? Have you forgotten the agreement that Buddha’s Country once made with the sacrednds, that thew shall not be passed to disciples of other sects? Duan Qianchou fully knew that Tang Xing was my cousin, yet he did not remind Yankong. Is that not intentionally instigating conflict?”


    “Brother Xu, choose your words wisely!”


    Bu Xiao’s heart raced as he knew that once this matter was settled like this, Duan Qianchou’s future would be utterly destroyed. He couldn’t care less about his friendship with Elder Xu Ying and said coldly, “The Tang family im being rted to the Xu n is merely your own assertion. As far as I am aware, the lineage of the Heavenly Phoenix Sword Saint has never acknowledged the Tang family in Xiling as rtives. Not to mention Tang Luo and Tang Xing, even their mother Xu Shuhui had her name erased from the n registry, and the Xu n ancestral hall does not include a ce for the Tang family! What kind of rtives are those?”


    “Brother Bu, you’ve greatly disappointed me!”


    Elder Xu Ying’s eyes were filled with loss, and even his right hand, clutching the Emperor’s Void Phoenix Sword, trembled weakly as he took out a letter from his chest and raised it high, saying with resentment, “Several years ago, my aunt returned to Yuanzhou to visit rtives and engraved a memorial tablet for the third branch of the Tang family, the lineage of Tang Sen. Since there were no male heirs present, my father took the ce for the Tang lineage and sent their ranking into the ancestral hall. This is my father’s reply letter; would the Grandmaster please inspect it and see if there is any fabrication in what Xu has said?”


    Sword energy enveloped the letter, turning it into a streak of light shooting toward the cloud tform. Bu Xiao felt dizzy and his spiritual power roared uncontrobly within him, desiring to shatter the letter with a flick of his finger, but he knew that destroying evidence would be equivalent to admitting Elder Xu Ying’s usations.


    Although Bu Xiao appeared calm, his right fist clenched unconsciously behind his back.


    Because he understood that after today, Duan Qianchou’s prospects on Martial Saint Mountain werepletely doomed!


    On the cloud tform, Bu Chun, with his immortal and Dao Bone demeanor, reached out to take the letter. Before unfolding it, he nced at Elder Xu Ying and Tang Luo.


    He had heard about the battle in the Medicine Valley and was more concerned about the young man who could stand against Yankong, but he didn’t know the details of the whole incident.


    As for the Divine Sword Decree issued by Elder Xu Ying to exterminate Buddha’s followers in Yuanzhou and the subsequent great battle in the Kunwu Mountain Range, Martial Saint Mountain had been watching it all.


    However, Martial Saint Mountain, which had always maintained absolute neutrality in the Holy Land, thought it was just two contemporary Saint Kings disliking each other, wanting to sort out a winner.


    This kind of affair was difficult for anyone to intervene in, so they simply let it be, pretending to be ignorant.


    But now they realized that whether it was the extermination of Buddhism in Yuanzhou or the battle between the two young Saint Kings, it was all due to the instigation by a disciple of Martial Saint Mountain, and that instigator was a chief disciple of one of the peaks, which suddenly altered the nature of the situation.


    Bu Chun quickly scanned the letter, verifying that Tang Luo and Tang Xing had been acknowledged by the Xu n as rtives, and with a cold snort, he handed the letter back to Elder Xu Ying. He then transmitted a message to Bu Xiao, questioning, “As a Dao Child of the Holy Land, do you condone your rtives’ behavior to this extent?”


    Turning his head, he said loudly to Elder Xu Ying, “Elder Xu, within three days, Martial Saint Mountain will give a satisfactory exnation to the Xu n in Yuanzhou and Buddha’s Country in Zhongzhou.”


    Elder Xu Ying sheathed his sword and stood upright, taking the letter wrapped in cloud energy and bowing to Bu Chun, saying, “Thank you, Grandmaster, for taking charge.”


    Having said that, he nced at the silent Bu Xiao, bowed, and said, “Brother Bu… sigh!”


    Landing on the ground with mixed feelings, Elder Xu Ying handed the letter to Tang Luo and whispered, “Will this really finish off Duan Qianchou? After all, he is the chief disciple of one peak; surely Martial Saint Mountain won’t punish him too severely, right?”


    Taking the letter, Tang Luo remained expressionless and replied telepathically, “Don’t worry, it will certainly work. Who asked him to have the surname Duan instead of Bu?”