Chapter 261: You Don't Leave, I Won't Give Up

Outside Seven Blood Eyes, murderous intent surged, and a group of people appeared menacing. Inside Seven Blood Eyes, solemnity prevailed, and the peak masters of the Sky Palace remained calm.

Xu Qing heard the soaring anger from outside the formation behind him, but he didn't turn around. He kept his head down, holding the teacup aloft. Seated above, Seventh Master likewise paid no attention to the outside world. It was as if nothing out there mattered to him; his sole focus was on the disciple whose apprenticeship ceremony was halfway complete.

He raised his hand and waved it in the air. Immediately, the teacup Xu Qing held high flew towards him, directly into Seventh Master's hand. He didn't drink from it but placed it on a nearby table. This cup of tea, named 'Reflection Tea,' was not meant to be drunk. At this moment, Second and Third Highnesses on either side were both serious, yet Third Highness secretly winked at Xu Qing in greeting, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Tea has been offered!" the Captain's voice echoed as he handed Xu Qing the second cup of tea. Xu Qing took three steps forward. As he raised the teacup again, an earth-shattering roar erupted from outside the Seven Blood Eyes' mountain gate.

The cultivators from Lingyun Sword Sect, who had arrived from afar to demand an explanation, showed no hesitation as they approached Seven Blood Eyes. Streams of sword qi, even more powerful than before, burst forth, transforming into dazzling light that directly slammed into Seven Blood Eyes. Seven Blood Eyes' protective formation instantly activated, blocking the myriad sword qi. For a moment, the heavens trembled and the earth shook, dragons roared and tigers howled, their sounds echoing across the seven mountains.

The formation of Seven Blood Eyes was noticeably different from before. Its current display seemed to have completely removed the Seven Sects Alliance's authority, classifying Lingyun Sword Sect as an external enemy. While the cacophony roared, the peak masters of Seven Blood Eyes' Sky Palace remained unconcerned. Their composure, in turn, calmed the disciples of their respective peaks, who continued to observe the ceremony at the Seventh Peak alongside them.

Inside the Purple Light Hall on the Seventh Peak, Seventh Master ignored the outside world and waved his hand, taking the second teacup Xu Qing held aloft. This second cup of tea, named 'Approval Tea,' signified the master's inner consent to accept a disciple if he took a sip. Seventh Master now raised it, took a sip, and placed it on the table.

"Offer the Loyalty Tea!" the Captain's voice called out as he handed Xu Qing the third teacup. Xu Qing took a deep breath, walked three more steps, and this time, he knelt directly before Seventh Master, bowing and holding the teacup high.

At this moment, the external roar intensified, culminating in a colossal, ear-splitting boom, like heavenly thunder, that surpassed all previous sounds. It was a scarlet sword qi, tens of thousands of feet long. When it struck the Seven Blood Eyes' protective formation, the formation instantly buckled under the pressure and shattered into fragments. As it disintegrated, the sword qi transformed into a golden-robed old man.

The old man took a step, appearing dramatically in mid-air above Seven Blood Eyes. Behind him, streaks of sword light whistled, arriving directly behind him and forming into Lingyun Sword Sect disciples. Every single one radiated murderous intent, and every single one was aggressively imposing.

"Blood Refiner, you—" The one who had cleaved open the formation was none other than Lingyun Old Ancestor. A gleam flashed in his eyes, his cultivation awe-inspiring. Having just arrived, he had barely begun to speak when his divine sense swept across the Seventh Peak's summit. He saw Xu Qing kneeling there, holding the teacup high, and he also saw Seventh Master raising his hand to receive Xu Qing's teacup.

Having lived for so many years and being an Old Ancestor of a sect, how could he not understand the meaning of this scene? "Accepting a disciple?" Lingyun Old Ancestor's eyes blazed with intense killing intent, and an unending chill emanated from his entire body. Everyone he looked at seemed like a dead soul to him.

"The one who harmed my grandson and seized my sect's soul-lamp is actually performing an apprenticeship ceremony! Blood Refiner, I'm very curious: where did you get such audacity to do this?!"

"Lingyun, whatever it is, wait until my son-in-law finishes accepting his disciple," Blood Refiner said with a faint, almost smiling expression. Amidst the clouds, the six peak masters remained calm, showing no signs of panic. This scene made Lingyun's eyes narrow slightly, and his heart sank. Seven Blood Eyes today felt completely different from what he had known before!

Inside the Purple Light Hall of the Seventh Peak, even with the overwhelming pressure from outside, Seventh Master still didn't spare it a glance. After picking up Xu Qing's teacup, he looked down at Xu Qing. With Seven Blood Eyes' disciples watching, and murderous intent filling the air outside, he slowly spoke.

"Child, ritual is ritual, but I only ask your heart: Are you truly willing to become my disciple?" Xu Qing looked up into Seventh Master's eyes and softly replied, "Master." Hearing this, Seventh Master burst into laughter.

"Good! My disciple, if you do not leave, I will not abandon you!" With that, he dipped his right thumb and index finger into the tea and lightly flicked it towards Xu Qing. As the tea drops scattered, the apprenticeship ceremony was complete! Inside Seven Blood Eyes, bells began to chime. This time, it wasn't just the Seventh Peak; the sound resonated from all seven peaks simultaneously, spreading out and shaking heaven and earth.

"Today, Old Fourth joining us is a joyous occasion. You few, come with me to see why there's such a commotion outside, daring to openly demand that my disciple be handed over."

As Seventh Master's words rang out, Lingyun Old Ancestor, high in the sky outside, laughed in fury. Beside him stood a middle-aged cultivator, whose appearance bore some resemblance to Sheng Yunzi. With a grim expression, this man took a step forward. His speed was astonishing; he instantly transformed into a bloody sword and shot straight towards the Purple Light Hall on the Seventh Peak. A surge of Nascent Soul cultivation constantly erupted from him, shaking the surroundings. The power of his fluctuations far surpassed that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, seeming to be infinitely close to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.

In an instant, the bloody sword he had transformed into reached the summit of the Seventh Peak, right before the Purple Light Hall. Just as he was about to rush inside, Seventh Master stood up with a laugh and took a step towards the outside. He showed no concern for the charging bloody sword, merely waving his hand. The next moment, the bloody sword, now close to Seventh Master, trembled violently and then directly disintegrated into fragments. A piercing scream emanated from within.

The Nascent Soul middle-aged man, who had transformed into the bloody sword, could be seen reeling back like a kite with a broken string. Ninety percent of his body uncontrollably shattered and exploded, leaving him critically injured and near death. This disintegration was irreversible. Almost at the instant of his scream, his physical body collapsed, becoming scattered wisps of blood mist in the air. Only his Nascent Soul escaped, filled with panic, shock, and terror, looking towards Seventh Master, who had walked out of the Purple Light Hall with Xu Qing and the other three behind him.

This middle-aged man from Lingyun Sword Sect, whose physical body had been shattered by Seventh Master's mere wave, leaving only his Nascent Soul, held an extremely high position within Lingyun Sword Sect; he was their Grand Elder. He was also Lingyun Old Ancestor's only son and Sheng Yunzi's father, which was why he had attacked with such fury earlier. But now he was utterly miserable, even his Nascent Soul was dim, appearing unstable and on the verge of collapse.

The shock in his heart was indescribable. He knew his own strength, and for his opponent to shatter his physical body with a single wave of the hand, such cultivation sent tremors through his mind. He even had a strong feeling that the other party hadn't truly intended to kill him, otherwise his Nascent Soul would definitely not have escaped. "You're not Nascent Soul, you're Spirit Repository!!" Sheng Yunzi's father cried out in disbelief. As he retreated, the disciples of Lingyun Sword Sect also felt their hearts quake, their expressions changing drastically.

Only Lingyun Old Ancestor's expression didn't change much; he merely took a deep look at Seventh Master. "You've hidden your cultivation so deeply that even I didn't notice it just now. Your cultivation isn't that of an ordinary Spirit Repository; you must have opened three secret repositories."

"However, this alone isn't enough, Blood Refiner. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? You may as well show them."

Seventh Master smiled but said nothing. He walked out and stood outside the Purple Light Hall, looking at Blood Refiner in the sky. Blood Refiner also glanced at Seventh Master, a look of admiration in his eyes. Then he turned to Lingyun Old Ancestor, and a fierce glint flashed in his gaze.

"Let's fight first!"

As he spoke, Blood Refiner's body flickered, and streams of light burst from his eyes, transforming into crimson threads that shot directly towards Lingyun Old Ancestor. Lingyun Old Ancestor let out a cold snort. With a wave of his hand, torrents of sword qi surged around him, suddenly striking towards the approaching Blood Refiner. In an instant, the two clashed, causing the winds to shift and the sky to shatter. Their figures soared towards the heavens, and the roaring sounds, like heavenly thunder, continuously echoed throughout the surroundings.

At the same time, the winged dragon within the clouds growled at the Lingyun Sword Sect disciples. Inside, the six peak masters of Seven Blood Eyes also unleashed their cultivation, causing the heavens and earth to tremble with astonishing power. With Seventh Master standing on the Seventh Peak's summit with his hands behind his back, all of this left the Lingyun Sword Sect cultivators, who had arrived aggressively to demand an explanation, in a dilemma. The few Nascent Soul cultivators among them felt their scalps tingle, looking at Seventh Master with extreme apprehension.

The gap between Nascent Soul and Spirit Repository was like that between one flame and six flames. If Seventh Master wished, he could instantly annihilate all of them, with not a single one escaping. This disparity caused the Lingyun Sword Sect disciples to grow tense. Lingyun Sword Sect also had a Spirit Repository realm cultivator, but that was their Sect Master, who had to remain guarding the sect after their Old Ancestor departed. And they had never imagined that Seven Blood Eyes not only had a Return to Void Old Ancestor but also a Spirit Repository realm cultivator who was below Return to Void and above Nascent Soul!

At this moment, not only were the Lingyun Sword Sect disciples shocked, but even Seven Blood Eyes' own disciples were surprised. However, remembering the tradition of the seven peaks, they suddenly felt that it wasn't so strange after all. The Seven Blood Eyes peak masters in the clouds clearly knew this long ago and showed no surprise. As for the disciples around the Seventh Peak's altar, including Xu Qing and the others, they exchanged glances.

"I suspect the old man is still holding back," Third Senior Brother whispered.

"Third Brother, be more confident. He definitely is," the Captain said with a smile.

Xu Qing glanced at the Captain and Third Senior Brother but said nothing. As for Second Senior Sister beside him, she was currently holding a jade slip, continuously transmitting messages, seemingly uninterested in everything happening outside.

"Junior Brother, I told you! The first time I saw you, I felt we had a connection. I went back and did some calculations, and sure enough, you're my junior brother," Third Senior Brother said with a laugh, turning to Xu Qing. "But I also didn't expect you to actually take out Sheng Yunzi. You know, when the Seven Sects Alliance came to challenge us before, the other princes from the other peaks might have been holding back a bit, but the First Peak went all out."