As the three stewards returned to the mountain gate, Shen Hongyi frowned deeply.
"Where is he?"
"Heh! He's already dead!"
Hearing this, a hint of killing intent flashed in Shen Hongyi's eyes.
"You actually killed him?"
The stewards, unfazed, stepped forward to Lin Song and whispered something to him.
"Hahaha!" Lin Song burst into laughter. "Truly ignorant—daring to challenge that ancient path, he was courting death!"
He looked mockingly at Shen Hongyi beside him. "That boy wasn't a disciple of our sect, yet he injured one of our stewards. Such a crime deserves death! Surely, Wuhen Peak isn't willing to stand against the entire sect for the sake of one sinner?"
At this, Shen Hongyi's sword trembled slightly in her hand. It took her a long moment to suppress her raging intent to kill.
Indeed! Feng Wuchen had failed to take the final step, and thus couldn't be considered a disciple of Wuhen Peak. She had no reason to avenge him.
"Hahaha!" Lin Song laughed again with satisfaction. "It seems no one else will make it through this path today, right? You all, quickly organize the information on the disciples who passed the trial. The elders from the peaks should be arriving soon!"
Just then, a faint crunching sound came from the snowy path behind him. Everyone instinctively turned to look, seeing two figures slowly approaching from the mountain path—a young woman of about sixteen or seventeen and a younger girl around twelve or thirteen. They were none other than Mu Qing and Feng Ning.
Among the newly admitted disciples behind the mountain gate, one immediately recognized the older girl.
"It's Miss Mu from the World's First Pavilion! Why is she here?"
"Could she be joining the Qingchen Sect too?"
Lin Song's eyes narrowed, realizing these newcomers likely had an agenda. He signaled to the stewards, who blocked the two women's path.
"What business does the World's First Pavilion have here in Qingchen Sect?" they demanded.
Mu Qing, holding Feng Ning's hand, looked toward the exit of the second path.
"We're waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone…"
The crowd furrowed their brows. Could that boy possibly be connected to the World's First Pavilion? But so what? In Cangzhou, the Qingchen Sect feared no one—not even the World's First Pavilion.
"Heh… Miss Mu, that boy injured one of our stewards and chose to enter the second path himself. Surely, the World's First Pavilion wouldn't seek revenge for him?"
"The Pavilion won't avenge him, but if he's dead, there are others who will," Mu Qing replied calmly.
The onlookers scoffed, and Lin Song sneered, "Miss Mu must be joking. He's nothing but a waste of a boy. If our Qingchen Sect killed him, so be it. Who would dare seek revenge?"
Just then, a graceful figure suddenly appeared in the distance, gliding toward them with a powerful aura. Her black hair and white dress swayed in the wind, a dazzling blue spirit sword in her hand, her footsteps light as if walking on air.
It was Yue Qingyin.
Scanning the newly admitted disciples, her brows furrowed slightly. "Where is Feng Wuchen?"
For a moment, the stewards, including Lin Song, were stunned. Why were so many people concerned about that boy?
They could ignore people from Wuhen Peak and the World's First Pavilion, but they couldn't afford to disrespect this direct disciple of the sect master.
One steward stepped forward under Lin Song's silent command.
"Lady Yue… that boy had no spiritual veins and even injured Steward Chu Feng. We intended to hold him accountable, but he…"
"What happened to him?" Yue Qingyin's voice grew colder.
"He escaped into the second path…"
"Boom!"
At that moment, an intense aura erupted from Yue Qingyin, so powerful that it left everyone gasping for breath. She had reached the peak of the Golden Body Realm.
"It seems you all have a death wish!"
"Lady Yue…"
The stewards struggled to withstand the oppressive force, clutching their chests to steady themselves.
"We're just following the rules. Please, don't make things difficult for us."
"Rules? Denying him entry because he has no spiritual veins—since when is that a rule? Abusing authority for personal gain—is that a rule as well? Today, I will rid the Qingchen Sect of pests like you!"
With a flash, Yue Qingyin's sword was unsheathed, her killing intent washing over the stewards, freezing them in place.
"Elder Lin! Save us!"
"Stop!" Lin Song shouted angrily, raising a protective aura to shield the four of them.
"Attacking your own comrades—regardless of being the sect master's disciple, I won't allow such recklessness!"
"You think you can stop me?"
Yue Qingyin smirked, raising her sword and striking without hesitation. Although they were several meters apart, a fierce sword energy shot out from her blade, flying directly at Lin Song.
"Sword energy! You… you actually broke through to that level!"
All present were visibly shaken. To release sword energy meant only one thing: Yue Qingyin had stepped into the Realm of Qi, becoming a true master of swordsmanship.
A seventeen-year-old at the peak of the Golden Body Realm and a master of swordsmanship! Her talent was terrifying.
In the face of her sword energy, Lin Song's defensive aura crumbled within mere seconds.
"Pffft!"
Under the powerful impact, Lin Song spat out blood, his bones feeling as if they'd been shattered as he was thrown backward.
Looking at the four stewards behind him, each one had a thin red line across their throats, their expressions frozen in place—clearly, they were beyond saving.
After finishing them off, Yue Qingyin's gaze fell on Lin Song.
"And you… were you involved in this?"
The strength of a swordsman is formidable even among those of the same realm. With Yue Qingyin now a master of swordsmanship, no defense could stand against her sword energy.
Seeing her raise her sword to strike again, Lin Song's face turned pale. In his current state, there was no way he could dodge the coming attack.
At this critical moment, voices echoed from all directions.
"Yue Qingyin! What are you doing?"
"Elder Lin is a pillar of Qingchen Sect—you must not kill him!"
Following the voices, they saw several elders from the peaks arriving, including Lu Qing, whom Feng Wuchen had met earlier.
However, Yue Qingyin showed no intention of backing down. Her blade slashed forward, determined to strike Lin Song.
"Quickly! We must save Elder Lin!"
In an instant, seven or eight peak Golden Body Realm elders stepped in front of Lin Song, joining forces to resist the sword energy.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion followed as the terrifying sword energy collided with the combined strength of the elders, bursting in all directions and sending sharp winds across their faces.
"Do you intend to stop me from killing him?" Yue Qingyin asked coldly, her fighting spirit only growing stronger as she faced the group of elders alone.
"Yue, if an elder has made a mistake, the sect's rules will punish him. It's not your place to take justice into your own hands!"
"Hmph… For the sake of a boy with no spiritual veins, attacking the sect's elders—you have no sense of restraint!"
"Moreover, he chose to challenge that path himself. If he died, it only proves he lacked talent. He has no one to blame!"
"Dong!"
At that moment, a profound and heavy bell sound suddenly echoed across the mountain, resonating between the peaks.
As the bell's chime rang out, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
The ancient bell's sound continued, clear and long.
Everyone's expression turned to one of shock, their gazes shifting toward a particular direction.
"The Enlightenment Bell is ringing! Could it be… he made it through?"