Chapter 126: A Mountain of Romantic Debts

"Charge!"

The five of them brandished their swords and leaped onto the martial arts platform, surrounding Ye Wuya in a circle.

These five were smarter than that fatty Nan Bowan; they had drawn their weapons from the start, facing Ye Wuya with their full strength.

"Come on then!" Ye Wuya stood with his hands behind his back, speaking indifferently.

He recalled the time he faced the City Lord of Lingfeng, a ninth-stage Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator. The man had gone berserk, allowing the Blood Demon to emerge and nearly kill Ye Ruyue and Ye Ruxue. He couldn't help but lament how times had changed; now, facing a ninth-stage Spirit Gathering cultivator, he felt no ripples in his heart—it was almost boring.

"Basic Sword Technique!"
"First Form!"

The five shouted in unison. Their cultivation surged, spiritual energy flowing steadily into their blades. A rainbow glow erupted from the swords, almost as if they had formed a small sword array. Their footsteps were perfectly synchronized as they attacked Ye Wuya.

"Haha, well met!"

Ye Wuya laughed heartily. He had practiced the sword his entire life. On Earth, he could say he had no equal in swordsmanship. Beyond being a master grave robber, he was also a master swordsman. While there were differences in basic sword techniques, they all remained rooted in the same fundamental principles.

His long blue sword appeared in his hand.

On the martial arts platform, Ye Wuya used the blue sword to parry the incoming strikes, the sound of "clanging" steel filling the air. Deflecting a downward slash with a flick of his blade, he spoke coolly: "When you strike, be ruthless! Be precise! Be fast!"

"Have you lot not eaten? You're acting like little girls!" Ye Wuya barked.

"Eat my sword!" One disciple, seemingly ignited by the insult, lunged at Ye Wuya with a fierce thrust. His speed had noticeably increased.

*Cling!*

Ye Wuya thrust his own sword out, the tips meeting with a sharp ring. With a subtle vibration of his wrist, he slapped the disciple's blade aside and sent the inner sect disciple flying off the platform.

"You achieved precision, but it still lacks speed and ruthlessness!" Ye Wuya remarked casually.

He turned to the other four and charged like a wolf into a flock of sheep. One by one, the remaining inner sect disciples were struck down and sent tumbling off the platform.

***

Turning to Jiang Xiaoxiao, he asked, "Do you spar with them every day?"

"Mm-hmm, that's right! Even though it's boring, I've still managed to learn a lot of things," Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded and said.

"It's been hard on you," Ye Wuya said, patting her head. No wonder she kept calling them little brats; with sparring like that, how much real combat experience could she possibly gain? True improvement came from life-and-death struggles, or at the very least, battles against opponents of equal standing.

"Forget it, let's stop. Let's go," Ye Wuya said, and began to walk away.

"Master, are we leaving?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked, hurrying to catch up.

"Are you that eager to leave?" Ye Wuya countered.

"My strength is growing too slowly here. I want to become an Empress as soon as possible," she replied with a serious expression.

"We aren't leaving just yet. I still have some matters to resolve, so there's no rush," he said as they walked.

"Oh," Jiang Xiaoxiao replied, falling silent and following behind him.

Ye Wuya sighed inwardly. If his memory of the ruins was correct, Ye Yunque and Dongfang Yanran should be here at the Qingyun Sect. Having not seen them for over half a year, he felt he should check on how they were doing before he left. If they were faring poorly at the Qingyun Sect, he would take them with him; if they were doing well, he would leave them be. Their strength was too low; it wouldn't be safe to take them out into the world.

"Master, where are we going now?"

"Heading home," he replied, making his way toward the mountain peak housing the Scripture Pavilion.

Along the way, Ye Wuya saw many Qingyun Sect disciples, but still no sign of Ye Yunque or Dongfang Yanran. Upon reflection, those two were also a handful. Ye Yunque had unabashedly confessed her love for him, and Dongfang Yanran wanted to be his personal maid—the kind that warmed his bed, no less!

The more he thought about it, the more his head throbbed. He sighed, thinking to himself, *I'll just stay put for now. They should be safe until the Lieyang Sect and the Qingyun Sect start their war.*

He would wait until the Lieyang Sect issue was resolved before leaving. He didn't want to see them used as cannon fodder by the Qingyun Sect. After all, Ye Yunque was the aunt of Ye Ruyue and Ye Ruxue! Furthermore, he had... seen everything there was to see of them, hadn't he?

The more he pondered, the more annoyed he became. Should he see them or not? If he did, he could have Jiang Xiaoxiao look for them, but what would he say once they met? They would surely insist on following him to the ends of the earth.

*Damn it!* A whole mess of romantic debt!

***

Ye Wuya scratched his head in frustration. He hadn't even managed his primary wife yet, and two potential ones had been snatched away. There were two more in the Qingyun Sect, one who loved him and one who wanted to be his personal maid, and he was followed by a naive, sweet disciple who wanted to marry him.

The damn Blood Demon had left behind nine messes! And these nine were the most difficult to deal with. According to Jiang Xiaoxiao, they were Saint-level entities! What kind of power was a Saint? That was the rank just below the Great Emperor! Wasn't the Blood Demon a Saint himself back in the day, relying on boundless power to go head-to-head with twenty powerhouses who had one foot in the Great Emperor realm?

It was all such a headache!

As long as the Blood Demon didn't appear, Ye Wuya was effectively the Blood Demon. Didn't that mean all those enemies were his problems to solve? Of the twenty who fought the Blood Demon, half had died, but ten were still alive! Ten whole people! The Blood Demon was dead, but those ten weren't! If any one of them showed up, Ye Wuya would be dead two hundred percent over.

That was why he had to be so cautious, hiding in the remote corner of the Yan region, not daring to run off anywhere. He couldn't go to the Immortal Moon Holy Land, nor could he leap out into the wider world, fearing that the Blood Demon's enemies would discover him and cripple his dantian and meridians. He hadn't found any other cultivation methods, and his sword intent and divine sense hadn't seen a significant breakthrough.

Although he hadn't fought a Golden Core realm cultivator, he had enough self-awareness; he had seen such battles in the ruins. The sky going dark, the chaotic clashes of gods and demons, magical artifacts flying everywhere—it was enough to terrify anyone.

Lost in thought, he and Jiang Xiaoxiao returned to the Scripture Pavilion. After the Vice Sect Master had left, Jiang Xiaoxiao had moved into the room next to his. For convenience, she had even cut a doorway between the two rooms, covered only by a curtain that Ye Wuya had hung up himself.

The small courtyard was situated behind the Scripture Pavilion, sparsely populated, and no one else could enter. Outside the courtyard lay a cliff overlooking a bottomless abyss—a depth his hundred-meter divine sense couldn't possibly probe.

"Xiaoxiao!" Ye Wuya called out.

"Yes, Master?" Jiang Xiaoxiao pulled back the curtain and walked over.

"Help me find out if there are two people in the Qingyun Sect named Ye Yunque and Dongfang Yanran."