Chapter 2011: Self-Inflicted Consequences

As for Qiu Honglei, the Yin-Yang Revered One wasn't worried in the slightest. He wasn't like Elder Xi, that fool.

Having learned from the recent lesson, he naturally wouldn't underestimate his opponent. Moreover, his cultivation was significantly higher than Elder Xi's; Elder Xi was merely a Half-Grandmaster, while he had been a Grandmaster for many years.

So, if Qiu Honglei still wanted to protect that impostor, he wouldn't mind crippling her right here.

Hmph, if she won't be a proper daughter-in-law, then I'll make her my female slave.

The girl was indeed beautiful. He had originally planned to wait until she married his son before making his move, but now it seemed he wouldn't have to share her with his son.

Seeming to read the wicked intent in his eyes, Qiu Honglei's heart flared with rage. With a flick of her wrist, the Curved Moon Demonic Saber appeared in her hand. "Then this junior asks for the Venerable One's guidance!"

Having been with Zu An for so long and witnessing countless times his triumphs over stronger opponents, challenging foes many levels above him, she had gained a certain boldness. She felt she should also learn from Azu.

Of course, she wasn't blindly impulsive. Her gains from this secret realm had been immense, both in terms of genuine cultivation improvement and an expansion of her worldview and mindset. She wasn't without the power to fight.

"You?" The Yin-Yang Revered One chuckled, then looked at Zu An. "You, the impostor, are afraid to act, only letting her come to her death?"

Many in the hall grew anxious and urged, "Sect Master Yun, the Saintess is still young after all. Perhaps you should personally intervene."

In everyone's eyes, although Qiu Honglei was exceptionally talented, she had only been cultivating for a little over a decade. Compared to an old monster like the Yin-Yang Revered One, she was still far inferior.

Although she had just defeated Elder Xi, that was because he had underestimated her. This time, Elder Yin-Yang clearly wouldn't make the same mistake.

"To her death?" Zu An's expression was calm. "It's not certain who will die yet."

He also saw Qiu Honglei's current state. Having just defeated Elder Xi, her confidence and fighting spirit were at their peak.

If she won this battle, her future cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds, with limitless achievements. Naturally, she needed to be given this opportunity.

"Hahaha, good, very good!" The Yin-Yang Revered One burst into laughter, his mirth causing the entire hall to tremble.

Many people's expressions changed drastically. The laughter caused their blood and qi to churn, leaving them dazed.

Fang Zhonghe was indeed worthy of being one of the Four Revered Ones; his cultivation was simply terrifying.

He was deliberately using his laughter at this moment to prematurely dismantle the Saintess's resolve and fighting spirit. To use such methods against a young junior was truly shameless.

Li Feiqing suppressed his annoyance and quickly shouted, "Saintess, you are no match for him! Please ask Sect Master Yun to intervene."

Feeling his anxious concern, Qiu Honglei nodded slightly at him. "Thank you, Senior Brother Li, but I know my limits."

With so many in the sect betraying her master, it was rare to find someone who stood with them, so she naturally couldn't treat him lightly.

Seeing their conversation, Fang Long, standing nearby, grew furious and couldn't help but say, "Hey, Li, do you know that simps never come to a good end? You fawn over her like this, and at most, Honglei will just give you a smile. Do you really think she'll like you? You're even disregarding your life and future; it's simply ridiculous."

Li Feiqing's expression became solemn. "Fang Long, you don't understand what love is. To love someone isn't about possessing them; it's about wishing for their happiness and well-being. As for your reputation, everyone inside and outside the sect knows what kind of person you are. I naturally cannot allow the Saintess to marry you and suffer for a lifetime."

"Self-deception! Those are just comforting words for a loser. You'll see me and the Saintess live a loving and blissful life then," Fang Long sneered.

"Shut up!" The Yin-Yang Revered One's face darkened. At a time like this, this brat was still bickering and competing for attention, showing no sense of the bigger picture!

Crucially, his deliberately impactful laughter just now had turned into a joke. How could he still laugh?

He could only say to Qiu Honglei, "Niece, you make the first move. I'll let you have three strikes, lest others say I'm bullying the young."

Qiu Honglei pursed her lips and smiled. "Didn't you already make the first move just now?"

A chorus of boos appropriately rose from the surroundings. Strictly speaking, his laughter earlier did count as a move, and for him to say such a thing now was utterly hypocritical.

Even with the Yin-Yang Revered One's thick skin, he was so embarrassed that he nearly curled his toes through the floorboards.

It was at this exact moment that Qiu Honglei suddenly moved.

A brilliant light erupted from her hand, and a series of light orbs shot towards the Yin-Yang Revered One.

Some were fast, some slow, making it easy for one to lose initiative and coordination while dodging, followed by a tempest-like assault.

Back during the Purple Mountain Dao Sect grand competition, this move of hers had caused many to suffer great losses.

The Yin-Yang Revered One sneered, "Mere parlor tricks!"

As someone from the Demonic Sect himself, he naturally understood the intricacies of this move. Thus, he didn't dodge; instead, he swept his sleeve, and the light orbs dispersed to the side as if blown away by an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.

Since dodging would expose a weakness, he would counter skill with brute force.

Seeing this, Li Feiqing and the others let out sighs of regret. The disparity was too vast; there was no way to fight.

Just then, a blinding flash erupted in the hall, causing many young disciples to instinctively close their eyes.

Even the elders couldn't help but narrow their eyes into slits.

Everyone suddenly realized this was the Saintess's strategy. Knowing that the previous light orbs couldn't deal with the Yin-Yang Revered One, she followed up with this subsequent move.

"Second move." However, the Yin-Yang Revered One, with his eyes closed, casually struck out a palm to the side, pushing back Qiu Honglei's figure. "You know nothing about the Grandmaster realm. At our level, even with our eyes closed, we are perfectly aware of every rustle and stir around us."

"Watch out!" At this moment, Lu Sanyuan urgently warned.

The Yin-Yang Revered One was startled. Just then, the void behind him suddenly tore open, revealing faint glimmers of stars within, as if a corner of the vast universe had been exposed.

Immediately afterward, a giant blade silhouette sliced out from the rift. The few individuals with profound cultivation who could still keep their eyes open instantly recognized it as an enlarged version of the Curved Moon Demonic Saber.

An alarm suddenly blared in the Yin-Yang Revered One's heart. He swiftly turned to defend, his two sleeves bulging like spheres, closing together to block in front of him.

A terrifying aftershock spread out, overturning tables and chairs in the hall, and sending the young disciples stumbling backward in disarray.

The entire hall also shook violently, with the rune formations above flashing frantically, barely managing to protect it from collapsing.

Qiu Honglei tapped her toes, gracefully leaping out of the battle circle. She cupped her hands towards her opponent and said, "Venerable Fang, you've let me win!"

As the dust subtly dispersed, everyone finally saw that both of Fang Zhonghe's sleeves had ripped open.

Although there were no injuries on his arms, being forced to rip his sleeves by a direct confrontation with a young junior meant he had, in a way, already lost.

Qiu Honglei breathed a sigh of relief. She knew very well that there was still a significant gap between her strength and the Yin-Yang Revered One's. If it were a straightforward fight, she wouldn't stand a chance of winning.

So, from the start, she had deliberately provoked him, then employed seemingly impressive strategies that, in the eyes of true masters, were nothing more than child's play.

The true killing move came when the opponent thought they had easily countered her.

However, this so-called killing move was also a feint. She knew she couldn't kill him, so she merely maximized her killing intent for that split second, making him truly believe she intended to kill him. This would make him disregard the integrity of his sleeves, instinctively prioritizing the protection of his body from injury.

This gave her the opportunity. Leveraging the power of the Curved Moon Demonic Saber and the might of the Star Cloud Rift, she finally succeeded in tearing his sleeves.

Then, she immediately used words to corner him. With so many people watching, she had already effectively won. Since he was a dignified Revered One, he naturally couldn't stoop to continuing the match or similar actions.

At this moment, the Carefree Revered One, Hua Feihua, couldn't help but chuckle. "Indeed, the younger generation is truly formidable."

The Heaven-and-Earth Revered One, Shen Taogong, also stroked his round belly and nodded, saying, "The Saintess's display of both wits and strength this time was truly brilliant and admirable."

The admirers of Qiu Honglei in the hall erupted in cheers, shouts of "Saintess, I love you!" rising one after another.

Fang Zhonghe's breathing was ragged. How could he not realize he had fallen for her trick? His face alternated between green and red. Suddenly, he roared, "The match isn't over yet! Who said a victor has been decided?"

As soon as his voice fell, he lunged at Qiu Honglei.

At this, the surrounding crowd erupted in curses:

"Fang Zhonghe, have you no shame?!"

"What kind of Venerable One? He can't accept defeat!"

"Quick, save the Saintess!"

Alas, those who wished to save her were too far away and lacked the ability, while the few who could were burdened with too many considerations. They could only watch helplessly as Fang Zhonghe lunged in front of Qiu Honglei.

His palm glowed an ambiguous pink; this was his ultimate technique—the Nine-to-One Spring Palm.

For decades, he had steeped his palm in countless aphrodisiacs, absorbing their medicinal power. He had tempered it nine times, until finally, all nine became one!

This palm contained the world's most potent drugs. If struck, it could thoroughly ignite a person's carnal desires, causing them to act like a beast.

It had a particularly miraculous effect when used against women.

At this moment, he was seething with rage, having decided to utterly ruin her reputation.

Hmph, Saintess, indeed. When I make you behave like a common hussy in front of everyone, let's see how many people still like and follow you!

Qiu Honglei's expression drastically changed. She hadn't expected Fang Zhonghe to be so shameless as to do such a thing in front of everyone.

Although she didn't know the name of his palm technique, seeing the eerie pink glow, she could guess its general nature.

She instinctively recoiled, knowing full well that she absolutely could not be touched by that palm.

Unfortunately, he was too fast; she had no time to dodge.

Just then, Zu An's voice rang in her ear: "Don't be afraid. Strike him with your palm."

Qiu Honglei was startled. Instinctively, she didn't want to meet his palm, but she ultimately chose to trust her beloved.

Seeing her extend her fair, delicate hand towards him, a sinister grin flashed across Fang Zhonghe's face. This girl was truly walking straight into hell's gate.

As their palms met, his smile suddenly froze, and then his expression drastically changed.

An incredibly vast palm force surged forth. Before, he had thought Qiu Honglei's palm force was at most a small stream, while he was a great river, capable of easily swallowing her.

But compared to the palm force now, what he felt was the ocean—a boundless, vast ocean!

Visibly, the pink aura from his palm was forced back from his palm center, and that pink aura directly enveloped his entire body.

He let out a miserable shriek, flying backward and falling to the ground in a heap.

Fang Long, who was not far away, rushed to help him up. "Father, what's wrong?"

To his surprise, Fang Zhonghe's eyes were filled with a wild, pink frenzy. He grabbed Fang Long directly, pinned him to the ground, and demanded, "Give it to me, I want it!"

Everyone: "???"