Martial Arts to Supremacy

Chapter 9 Saintess Su Qingyue

A red, humanoid phantom soared into the sky in the distance, reaching a height of forty or fifty meters. Red thunderclouds rolled in the sky, and arcs of lightning flickered around the phantom. It instantly teleported to the martial arts arena.

"Greetings, Holy Maiden..."

All the disciples in the training ground bowed and paid their respects, including Zhang Yintu.

That clear, cold voice boomed like thunder, carrying an undeniable authority that instantly silenced all the noise in the training ground.

Everyone looked up and saw a red, humanoid phantom standing in mid-air, its robes fluttering, surrounded by arcs of lightning, its spiritual aura overwhelming, causing all the cultivators present to feel a sense of submission. In front of the phantom, a woman with a graceful figure and peerless beauty appeared, none other than Su Qingyue, the Holy Maiden of the Xuantian Sect.

Her eyes were cold and aloof as she swept across the scene, first landing on Ye Xiao, who was lying on the ground coughing up blood, and then fixing on Zhang Yintu, whose face was deathly pale. Her indifferent gaze held a chilling coldness that made Zhang Yintu's hair stand on end, and he didn't even dare to breathe.

Seeing Su Qingyue looking at him, Zhang Yintu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly retracted his dark green giant python form, bowed deeply, and lowered his posture to a minimum, completely abandoning his previous aggressive demeanor.

He knew perfectly well that Su Qingyue, as a genius of the Xuantian Sect, a once-in-a-millennium talent, had awakened a high-grade Earth-rank Dharma Aspect - the Fire Emperor Holy Spirit, and her cultivation was unfathomable; she had probably already broken through to the Condensation Realm. With the sect elders backing her up, let alone him, who was just an ordinary inner disciple, even the head of the inner sect wouldn't dare to easily disobey the Holy Maiden's wishes.

Su Qingyue landed slowly, her red illusory image gradually dissipating, but the oppressive aura emanating from her still kept the surrounding disciples from raising their heads. She stepped to Li An's side, her gaze towards Zhang Yintu as cold as ice: "Zhang Yintu, I want to ask you, you saw everything clearly just now, why did you still distort the truth, slander him, and even attempt to harm Li An?"

Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Yintu's forehead as he hurriedly explained, "Holy Maiden, I only acted rashly because I saw Ye Xiao was injured and heard that Li An practiced a strange technique that allowed him to draw qi without a dharma form. I was worried that he was a heretic who would harm the sect, so I acted hastily..."

"A moment of desperation?" Su Qingyue sneered, her voice growing increasingly cold. "According to sect rules, sparring in the arena requires mutual consent. It was clearly Ye Xiao who provoked us, activating his Dharma Form to deliver the fatal blow first. Li An was merely acting in self-defense. How can you claim to have injured someone? To cultivate without a Dharma Form makes one a heretic? Are you trying to distort the sect's principles, or are you deliberately using this as an excuse to cause trouble?"

Every word was like a knife to the heart. Zhang Yintu was rendered speechless by the questioning, his face turning pale and then red, and he dared not refute it at all.

Su Qingyue stopped looking at him and turned to Ye Xiao, who was still lying on the ground with a face full of resentment. Her eyes remained completely calm. Upon seeing this, Ye Xiao felt a strong sense of unease and struggled to beg for mercy, but he was suppressed by a wisp of spiritual energy from Su Qingyue and could not move.

"Ye Xiao, as an outer disciple of the Xuantian Sect, bullies the weak, maliciously provokes others, and tries to kill them all. He is vicious and unworthy of being a disciple of the Xuantian Sect." Su Qingyue's voice was cold and clear, echoing throughout the entire martial arts arena. As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand lightly, and a pure blood-red spiritual energy instantly condensed, transforming into a sharp finger strike that went straight towards Ye Xiao's brow.

"No! Holy Maiden, spare me!" Ye Xiao cried out in terror, struggling desperately, but he couldn't break free at all.

With a muffled thud, the finger strike pierced directly through Ye Xiao's brow, destroying the original imprint in his sea of ​​consciousness that was connected to his Dharma form.

Ye Xiao let out a shrill scream, and the remaining spiritual energy around his body completely dissipated. The Crimson Fire Poison Scorpion Dharma Image that was originally connected to him by blood completely vanished into nothingness. He would never be able to cultivate again in this life and would become a complete cripple.

The entire hall fell silent. All the disciples were trembling with fear. No one had expected the Holy Maiden to be so decisive, directly crippling Ye Xiao's Dharma form and cutting off his path of cultivation.

Su Qingyue withdrew her hand, her tone indifferent yet carrying an undeniable authority: "By order of the Holy Maiden of the Xuantian Sect, effective immediately, I hereby strip Ye Xiao of his status as an outer disciple, expel him from the Xuantian Sect, and forbid him from ever setting foot in the sect again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a disciple from the sect stepped forward, lifted the barely alive Ye Xiao, and dragged him out of the training ground.

After dealing with Ye Xiao, Su Qingyue's gaze swept across the entire area. Her clear, cold voice, filled with determination, resounded in every corner: "Li An was brought into the Xuantian Sect by me, Su Qingyue, and is under my personal protection. From this day forward, whether you are an inner or outer disciple, anyone who dares to harass, provoke, or frame him without cause will be considered an enemy of me, Su Qingyue, and our conflict will be one of life and death!"

It's a fight to the death!

The four words, spoken with resounding force and carrying the absolute majesty of the Holy Maiden, shook the hearts of all the disciples present. Their gazes toward Li An were filled with nothing but awe, and they dared not harbor any other thoughts.

Zhang Yintu stood to the side, drenched in cold sweat, his heart filled with fear and hatred. He hated Su Qingyue for protecting Li An so fiercely, and even more so for his own utter loss of face today.

Faced with the enraged Holy Maiden, he dared not show any hatred. He could only suppress the resentment in his heart, quickly step forward, and bow to Su Qingyue: "This disciple knows his mistake. I was unaware of the truth and acted rashly, offending the Holy Maiden and Brother Li. I beg the Holy Maiden to forgive me, and I also ask Brother Li to be lenient."

He was forced to turn around, bowed slightly to Li An, and apologized. But his hands, hanging by his sides, were clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms. A sinister hatred flashed in his eyes, and he blamed Li An for all the humiliation he had suffered today.

Li An looked at Zhang Yintu, who was bowing his head and apologizing, with an indifferent expression and said nothing more. He knew that with Su Qingyue around, even if Zhang Yintu harbored resentment, he would never dare to easily harm him again.

Seeing this, Su Qingyue's expression softened slightly, but she still didn't have a good look on her face: "Considering this is your first offense, I will not pursue it this time. If there is a next time, I will definitely not let you off lightly."

"Yes, disciple will remember the Holy Maiden's teachings!" Zhang Yintu hurriedly replied, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon. However, he dared not linger any longer and hastily took his leave. As he turned to leave, his eyes grew increasingly sinister as he looked at Li An's retreating figure.

After Zhang Yintu left, Su Qingyue turned around and looked at Li An, whose face was slightly pale. The coldness in her eyes instantly disappeared, replaced by a hint of concern: "Are you alright? Don't force yourself."

Before Li An could answer, she turned around again and, in her capacity as a saintess, addressed all the disciples in a loud voice: "Li An's cultivation method is unique and not of any evil or heretical nature. From now on, no one in the sect shall criticize this matter. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished according to the sect's precepts."

By publicly rehabilitating Ang Lee's reputation, he completely silenced any dissent from others.

Having done all this, Su Qingyue ignored the crowd in the training ground and whispered to Li An, "Come with me."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the back mountain of the sect. Li An nodded slightly and quickly followed.

The two continued their journey, avoiding the noisy sect training grounds, and headed towards a secluded spot in the back mountains. There, they found a quiet house, a place where Su Qingyue usually relaxed and unwinded. It was also here that Li An, who had been seriously injured, was carefully treated by Su Qingyue.

A gentle mountain breeze caressed his face, birds sang, and flowers bloomed—a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the martial arts arena just moments before. Li An followed behind Su Qingyue, watching her aloof figure, a warmth welling up within him.

Since he was rescued by Su Qingyue and brought back to the sect after he wandered here, this holy maiden of the Xuantian Sect has always silently protected him, and he has kept this kindness in his heart.

Before long, the two arrived at the wooden house. Su Qingyue pushed open the bamboo door and went inside first. The house was clean and tidy, filled with a faint fragrance that made one feel relaxed.

"Come in. You just exhausted your spiritual energy. Rest and recuperate here first. I will protect you." Su Qingyue walked to the side and said softly. Her tone was still cold, but it carried a reassuring power.