Chapter 81: If You Don't Want to Stand, Then Kneel

Chapter 81: If You Don't Want to Stand, Then Kneel

The entrance to the Misty Spirit Sect was located atop a large mountain.

Shrouded in ethereal mist, the mountain was adorned with lush green pines and cypresses. At the end of pristine white marble steps stood a massive gate, upon which the characters “Misty Spirit Sect” were written in an elegant and otherworldly style.

In the past, the Misty Spirit Sect’s main gate was always bustling with activity, even on rest days. Disciples flying on their magical tools would often pass by, making the area lively and vibrant.

But today, only two people stood before the mountain gate.

“This place hasn’t changed a bit,” Chen Yin said, gazing at the surroundings with a nostalgic expression.

“Senior Brother, have you been to the main sect before?”

“…You could say that,” Chen Yin replied vaguely, his thoughts still fixed on the scene before him.

Once upon a time, he had been just an ordinary disciple of the Misty Spirit Sect’s main branch, drained of his passion for cultivation by endless, meaningless tasks. In the end, he became one of the many unremarkable members raised by the sect, blending into the crowd.

Even returning home required completing dangerous missions. For five years, he hadn’t had a moment to call his own.

Now, standing before the mountain gate once more, Chen Yin couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion stirring in his heart.

Xiang’er tilted her head slightly and looked at him. “What’s on your mind, Senior Brother?”

“Nothing.”

Chen Yin smiled and shook his head. “I wonder if the disciple earlier has delivered the message about our arrival.”

“Hopefully, they won’t keep us waiting too long.”

“Let’s go,” he said, leading Yu Xiang up the stairs toward the main hall of the sect.

Behind them, chaos reigned—unconscious disciples of the Misty Spirit Sect lay strewn across the ground.

<+>

Outside the main hall of the Misty Spirit Sect was a long staircase.

Chen Yin led Yu Xiang up the steps one at a time.

Xiang’er seemed nervous; her palms were damp with sweat.

Chen Yin turned back to give her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “We’re here to seek justice. Our conscience is clear.”

Xiang’er obediently nodded.

As they approached the halfway point, two figures finally appeared to block their path.

One was a middle-aged man with a kind expression, and the other was an elder with a scarred, somewhat ugly face.

“Greetings to you both,” the middle-aged man said warmly, clasping his hands in salute. “I am Elder Chang Wen of the main sect. This is Elder Xu Li from the Hall of Discipline.”

“You must be Chen Yin and Yu Xiang, disciples of the immortal Yu Ling?”

Chen Yin didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at Elder Xu Li for a long time before finally saying, “If I recall correctly, I told the disciple I spared earlier to summon Sect Leader Wu Xun. Why are only you two elders here?”

Chang Wen’s face stiffened, while Elder Xu Li’s expression turned ferocious. “Arrogant!” he growled.

“How dare a mere junior disciple from a branch sect speak to elders of the main sect in such a manner?”

Chen Yin remained unfazed. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“You—!”

Xu Li was about to erupt when Chang Wen raised a hand to stop him, smiling placatingly. “We’re all family here; no need to hurt the harmony.”

“You are esteemed disciples of Immortal Yu Ling, so there’s no need for formalities between us. Judging by your imposing manner, it seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding?”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, we’ll know once the sect leader appears,” Chen Yin replied, completely ignoring their good-cop, bad-cop routine. He turned to Xiang’er and asked, “Do either of them present that night?”

Yu Xiang stared intently at their faces for a long time.

Her eyes reddened slightly.

“The masked cultivators from back then—I can’t recognize them. But among the leading elders, this man wasn’t present.”

“However,” she said, gritting her teeth and glaring at Xu Li, “I do remember this man’s face.”

Chang Wen frowned deeply, while Xu Li narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“I see,” Chen Yin said calmly. “What a coincidence. I remember this man, too.”

Though he hadn’t seen Xu Li’s face before, the aura and voice matched the person he had encountered in the perilous Tiantu Abyss—the one who had slaughtered disciples from various sects.

“It seems you owe quite a few debts,” Chen Yin said with a faint smile. “Good. I’ve come to collect them.”

Chang Wen was about to interject with conciliatory words when Xu Li spat angrily, “Damn brat! Where do you get the nerve to challenge me?”

“If not for your powerful master, what would you be?”

“Ah, you’re absolutely right,” Chen Yin replied with a smile. “It’s precisely because I have a powerful master. Does that make you mad?”

Xu Li’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Chang Wen hastily tried to intervene. “Xu Li! Don’t kill him! We still need to reconcile with Immortal Yu Ling—”

But Xu Li couldn’t restrain himself any longer.

He couldn’t bear the humiliation of being repeatedly outdone by a mere junior.

Last time, his master had protected him. This time, he wanted to see who could save him!

With a sinister grin, he summoned a small, iron-ringed broadsword. It instantly expanded, roaring with thunder as it slashed toward Chen Yin.

“Die, you little wretch!”

His grin remained frozen on his face.

Chang Wen had barely moved to stop him when Chen Yin casually sheathed his sword.

He placed his hand on the hilt of Changming and looked calmly ahead.

He even had the leisure to ruffle Xiang’er’s hair, speaking gently:

“One down. I’ll leave his life for you to decide how he repays his debt.”

Xu Li glanced down at his shattered broadsword, then at his severed right arm.

His expression shifted from stunned disbelief to abject terror.

“Im—impossible!” he stammered, his voice cracking. “You—you’re just a junior in the Cloud Realm! How could you sever my arm?”

“Ah, it must be like last time with Mo Jie! Your master must have given you some protective magical tool!”

Chen Yin didn’t even spare him a glance.

To him, Xu Li was nothing more than a whimpering dog.

He turned to Chang Wen and said, “I’m here today to collect debts.”

“I don’t know if you were involved in the incident at the Changli Palace or in harming my master. If you were, sever your own arm, and I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself before killing you. If not, summon your sect leader.”

“My patience is limited,” he said coldly.

Chang Wen fell silent, scrutinizing the man before him.

All along, he had underestimated Chen Yin, dismissing him as nothing more than Immortal Yu Ling’s favored disciple—a handsome rogue entangled with the Misty Spirit Sect’s senior disciple Shen Shuanglian and the Tianluo Sect’s young mistress Luo Qiaoqiao.

At best, a playboy who lived off women.

But that sword…

Xu Li hadn’t noticed, but Chang Wen had seen everything clearly from start to finish.

A single, elegant slash.

Drawing the sword. Sheathing it.

Even though he had witnessed it, he couldn’t react in time.

It was only now that Chang Wen realized his carefully laid plans had overlooked this gaping flaw.

This was a man as terrifying as Immortal Yu Ling herself.

His expression was uncertain when Chen Yin’s voice rang out again:

"You can take your time to think."

"Though, the longer you try to stall, the more miserable he will be."

Chang Wen’s eyes widened instantly. Before he could utter a single “don’t,” Chen Yin’s sword had already been sheathed again. On the other hand, one of Xu Li’s arms was now nothing more than an empty sleeve.

“Ugh!”

Xu Li’s eyes bulged violently, but before he could even scream in pain, a wave of sword energy traveled along his arm, sealing his throat directly.

It was as if his own cry had choked him. His entire head turned a furious red, as if it were about to explode.

"Fine!"

Chang Wen’s gaze darkened as he gritted his teeth and said slowly, "I’ll go invite the Sect Leader right away."

Chen Yin turned to Xu Li and said seriously:

"You should thank him. This way, you get to live a little longer."

Xu Li’s bulging eyes glared menacingly, his mouth twitching for a long while but unable to make a sound.

Chang Wen shot a somber glance at the two of them before disappearing in a flicker.

On the vast staircase, only Chen Yin, Xiang’er, and the now armless, twisted-faced Xu Li remained.

Yu Xiang stared blankly at Xu Li, saying nothing.

"What are you thinking about?" Chen Yin asked softly.

"...It feels like a dream."

Yu Xiang closed her eyes and, after a long pause, murmured in admiration:

"I’ve imagined countless times barging into the Misty Spirit Sect alone to take my revenge."

"Back then, I always thought that even if I dismembered those scum into a thousand pieces, it still wouldn’t be enough to quench my hatred."

"But now, watching my senior brother take this man’s arm off, my heart feels far lighter than I ever imagined."

"It seems that rather than seeking vengeance myself, I prefer for my senior brother to wipe these beasts out one by one on my behalf."

"Senior brother... does thinking this way make me a complete demonic cultivator in mindset?" she asked timidly, looking at Chen Yin.

Chen Yin was silent for a moment before his wide sleeve gently covered her hair.

"Revenge isn’t necessarily a happy thing."

"But if you don’t seek revenge, you’ll never find peace."

"And that’s why we’re here today."

Yu Xiang stared blankly at Chen Yin’s profile.

She had never thought having someone to rely on could be such a comforting thing.

Unable to help herself, she gently grasped Chen Yin’s hand.

"Thank you, senior brother."

"What are you saying?" Chen Yin chuckled. "To a junior sister, a senior brother is meant to be used."

"Don’t be shy. Rely on me as much as you want."

Xiang’er’s cheeks flushed slightly, and then she broke into a sweet smile.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Beside them, faint groans still came from Xu Li’s throat.

But in the next moment, his body suddenly lightened, and he fell straight to his knees.

"You’re noisy."

Chen Yin glanced at him casually. "If you don’t want to stand..."

"Then kneel."

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