I Can Add Points Infinitely - Chapter 35
Yan Rong and Shen Lian stared at each other for a moment before Yan Rong suddenly smiled and said, “I am Yan Rong, and I admire Shen Lian’s character. I’d like to be friends with you; what do you think?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Shen Lian responded sincerely.
“Hahaha…”
With those words, both of them burst into laughter. Shen Lian handed over the two swords to Yan Rong. This time, Yan Rong accepted them without hesitation, casually passing them to his companions behind him.
“Don’t worry, Junior Brother. Although the Third Elder’s faction has many disciples, they don’t control everything in Azure Cloud Sect,” Yan Rong said directly after securing the swords.
“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother,” Shen Lian expressed his gratitude with a respectful bow.
Yan Rong smiled and replied, “It’s a small matter, no need to take it to heart. In the future, should any trouble arise, we’ll support each other.”
“Absolutely,” Shen Lian nodded.
He understood that through this brief interaction, Yan Rong had expressed his intent to form an alliance with the factions under the Fifth and Seventh Elders. It seemed that, despite maintaining neutrality, Yan Rong’s group also harbored grievances against the Third Elder’s faction and saw this as an opportunity to align with Shen Lian’s side. Ironically, Shen Lian’s slaying of Lu E had become a catalyst for new alliances, giving him some comfort about the upcoming challenges back at the sect.
Meanwhile, the disciples under the Third Elder’s line were closely watching Shen Lian’s actions. Though filled with resentment, they could do nothing but keep their anger hidden, planning to appeal to the Third Elder once they returned to the sect. However, Shen Lian’s strategic maneuvering had already started steering the situation in an inevitable direction.
After the current matters were settled, and since the secret realm hadn’t yet closed, the disciples split into their respective groups to continue seeking opportunities. To avoid vengeful ambushes from Thunder Valley, everyone moved in small teams. Shen Lian stayed with Yun Xiong and his fellow disciples, continuing their exploration for another half month.
Although they didn’t find any major treasures, they still made some progress. Each of their strengths improved: Yun Xiong reached the peak of Qi Refinement, while Luo Junyuan and Shan Qing advanced to the early stages of the tenth stage. Shen Lian, already at a perfected level, mainly enhanced the intensity of his displayed aura.
Finally, the time for the secret realm’s closure arrived. A powerful pressure descended upon them. Shen Lian, accustomed to the sensation from his previous experiences, remained composed as the familiar pressure pulled him back. When the pressure dissipated, he found himself in the same valley where they had first arrived.
The elders from both Azure Cloud Sect and Thunder Valley stood on opposite sides, waiting for their disciples to return. After reappearing, each group quickly gathered around their respective elders. Now outside the secret realm, an invisible restraint seemed to clamp down on everyone. Although the disciples from the two sects exchanged cold glares, no one dared to initiate a fight.
“What’s going on? We’re missing so many people! Where’s Zhou Lian?” the Thunder Valley elder questioned, noticing the absence of several disciples, especially their top inner disciple.
“S-Sir, Senior Brother Zhou… he was killed by Yun Xiong from Azure Cloud Sect. We tried our best, but all we could do was retrieve his body,” a Thunder Valley disciple replied tearfully.
“What?!” The Thunder Valley elder’s face turned livid as he clenched his fists and glared at the Azure Cloud Sect group. His voice was filled with fury.
Standing not far away, the Azure Cloud Sect elder overheard the commotion and couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction upon learning that Yun Xiong had slain one of the Thunder Valley’s top experts. However, as he tallied his own disciples, he noticed another problem. “Where is Lu E? What happened?”
“Ahem… well…” Yun Xiong coughed awkwardly before explaining, “Sir, Lu E had some conflict with my Junior Brother Shen Lian. They fought, and… well, I’ve brought back his body.”
“What did you just say?” The Azure Cloud Sect elder looked at Yun Xiong in disbelief.
“Uh… there’s more to the story, but we should discuss it back at the sect,” Yun Xiong said softly.
The elder took a long moment to process this before glancing at Shen Lian, surprised to sense his peak Qi Refinement aura. After a brief pause, he nodded and said, “We’ll discuss this later.”
“Hmph, Azure Cloud Sect disciples are truly powerful, not only killing our disciples but also casually slaying their own at the tenth lvevl. Impressive indeed,” the Thunder Valley elder sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Well, your disciples didn’t quite measure up this time. Our own were a bit heavy-handed—still learning, you know. Apologies for any lives lost,” the Azure Cloud Sect elder retorted, his words layered with irony.
“Hmph!” The Thunder Valley elder snorted, unwilling to argue further, as the facts were plain to see. His disciples had been outmatched, and there was nothing to be gained by quarreling now. “We may have lost today, but the four-sect core disciple competition is coming soon. I hope Azure Cloud Sect can still boast this confidence when the time comes.”
“Rest assured, we won’t disappoint you,” the Azure Cloud Sect elder replied calmly.
“Let’s go.” The Thunder Valley elder commanded his disciples back onto their vessel, and they departed first.
The Azure Cloud Sect elder, after confirming his own disciples’ numbers, led them onto the Dragon Cloud Piercer Vessel, and they began their journey back to the sect.
The return trip was uneventful. Despite having achieved a victory of sorts, the disciples were subdued, each lost in their thoughts as they meditated quietly. Shen Lian, the center of all the drama, appeared especially composed, showing no hint of anxiety.
After traveling for a day and night, the Dragon Cloud Piercer Vessel finally reached the Azure Cloud Sect’s inner gate. The disciples disembarked down the cloud ladder to the inner courtyard, where each inner elder stood, smiling, waiting to greet their disciples. Everyone reunited with their respective elders.
The Third Elder’s disciples, feeling lost and angry, quickly gathered around their elder, red-eyed and desperate to explain what had happened in the secret realm.
“What?!” Upon hearing their story, the Third Elder’s face turned icy, his gaze landing on Shen Lian with a piercing coldness. A powerful and overwhelming pressure instantly bore down on Shen Lian.
Shen Lian’s brows furrowed as he struggled under the sudden force. The oppressive aura locked onto him, making it hard to breathe. However, the pressure dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared. The Seventh Elder casually waved his hand, dispelling the force and stepping in front of Shen Lian to face the Third Elder directly.
He had already heard Yun Xiong’s recount of the incident and understood the general situation.
“Seventh Elder, do you know what you’re doing?” the Third Elder demanded angrily. “Defending your disciples is one thing, but you must adhere to the sect’s rules. Your disciple has shown blatant disregard for those rules, killing a fellow disciple without hesitation. Will you still protect him?”
Without holding back, the Third Elder launched his attack, each word striking with accusatory force.