The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 11

The river water was bone-chilling, and visibility was poor. A-Yin held his breath, stroking through the water one arm at a time, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the faint blue luminescence of the Ice Tear Pearl drifting not far from him.

Finally, his index finger and thumb pinched the treasure that was now within reach.

At this moment, A-Yin’s heart couldn’t have been more ecstatic.

His cultivation, which had been stagnant for ten years, could finally take a step forward. He felt as though this tiny Ice Tear Pearl carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

However, just as he clutched the pearl tightly in his palm and prepared to swim back gleefully, an eye abruptly opened in the pitch-black water beside him—

It was a massive, yellow-green eyeball, so large that to the creature, A-Yin was merely a speck of sand in its eye.

“Mmph!”

Locking eyes with that giant orb, A-Yin immediately panicked. He opened his mouth to gasp, and river water surged in instantly. The intense suffocation left his mind blank, and his thin body felt as if it were filled with lead; the more he tried to escape, the more he remained rooted in place.

A-Yin realized he was about to die.

Even if he didn’t drown, he would be swallowed whole by the monster waking at the bottom of the river.

Just before his eyes now mere slits closed completely, a flash of white robes suddenly illuminated his vision.

Before he could react, A-Yin was pulled out of the water with a splash by an extraordinary, powerful force.

His chaotic mind gradually cleared, and he realized with a delayed start that he had been saved. He was currently standing atop the Silver Moon Sword. Yue Xichen stood before him, his snow-white back resembling an indestructible shield capable of blocking any danger.

For a brief moment, A-Yin had the urge to hug Yue Xichen, but now was clearly not the time.

For ahead of Yue Xichen lay the very monster that had been lurking in the depths of the Jing River.

“This is…” A-Yin turned pale with fright.

On the boat, Zhu Yan and the other disciples of Lingyun Mountain wore identical expressions.

“It’s a Chiru!” Lin Fengfei’s face was grim as he pointed his sword, Cold Frost, at the behemoth leaping out of the water. “That’s a Chiru!”

“Chiru… an ancient demonic beast with a human face and a fish’s body. It is massive and loves to feast on human essence…” Zhan Ning murmured to himself, his body trembling involuntarily.

“A-Yin! Look at what you’ve done!” Zhu Yan craned his neck and roared at A-Yin. “It’s your fault for waking the Chiru! Ancient legends say that wherever a Chiru passes, it leaves only ruins in its wake…”

Before Zhu Yan could finish, the Chiru’s cavernous, blood-filled maw snapped toward Yue Xichen.

“Master, be careful!” A-Yin intended to warn him, but the Silver Moon Sword suddenly surged forward, nearly throwing him off.

“It seems I’m the one who needs to be careful!” Although he didn’t want to disturb Yue Xichen’s demon-slaying, he was worried about falling into the water, so he reached out and gently pinched a corner of Yue Xichen’s sleeve.

Yue Xichen flicked his sword, Falling Flower. Several fragrant peach blossom petals, accompanied by a pink arc of sword energy, delivered a heavy blow to the Chiru’s head, knocking it back into the Jing River.

Splash!

The massive wave kicked up by the Chiru nearly capsized the Lingyun Mountain disciples’ boat.

Just as everyone thought Yue Xichen had secured the victory, the Chiru, back in the water, suddenly released an astonishing demonic aura. Blood-red spots lit up across its pitch-black body, and though massive, it swung its tail back and forth with incredible agility.

“Not good!”

Yue Xichen immediately steered his sword to fly back toward Yangzhou City on the banks of the Jing River.

“What’s wrong, Master?” Just as A-Yin asked, he heard the sound of rushing water from behind.

He turned his head and was struck dumb with horror.

Behind him was a towering tidal wave, a thousand feet high, driving straight inward with irresistible force.

If such a monstrous wave crashed into Yangzhou City, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As the Falling Flower sword scattered peach blossom petals over Yangzhou, a pink-glowing barrier enveloped the entire riverbank, including the city.

At this time, Zhu Yan led the Lingyun Mountain disciples on their swords to provide support. Lin Fengfei glared at A-Yin the moment he saw him.

“Zhan Ning, I’m leaving A-Yin to you.”

Being pushed by Yue Xichen toward Zhan Ning, A-Yin realized he had become a burden and a stumbling block to his Master.

The Lingyun Mountain disciples gathered their true essence one after another, working alongside the Falling Flower sword left by Yue Xichen to support the barrier and resist the flood.

Yue Xichen flew back alone; he was going to settle the Chiru.

As long as the Chiru lived, these giant waves would never stop, each wave taller than the last until they broke the barrier and leveled Yangzhou City.

Supporting the barrier with his fellow disciples, A-Yin also tried to manifest his true essence, but his power was so minuscule it was of no help at all.

In an instant, the thousand-foot wave crashed down. Many Lingyun Mountain disciples closed their eyes in terror.

“Everyone, hold the barrier! If it breaks…” Zhu Yan’s voice was harsh and severe, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid.

If the barrier broke, Yangzhou would be destroyed, and Lingyun Mountain would likely be pinned to a pillar of shame in the cultivation world forever.

The monstrous wave slammed into the barrier. The violent tremors and the demonic energy mixed within caused blood to leak from the corners of some disciples’ mouths.

Fortunately, they held.

However, after two waves, the barrier finally collapsed during the third—

The breach happened exactly where A-Yin and Zhan Ning were stationed.

As the flood surged toward them, A-Yin instantly shielded Zhan Ning behind his own body.

The barrier must have broken because of his insufficient cultivation; he didn’t want to drag down the only person in Lingyun Mountain who didn’t look down on him.

Closing his eyes tight, A-Yin released what little true essence he had left in one breath. Regardless of whether it was useful, he would give his all even in death.

However, the expected sensation of being submerged by the flood never came. Doubting himself, A-Yin tremulously opened his eyes.

Before him was that familiar flash of white robes.

A-Yin’s heart skipped a beat.

Yue Xichen had returned at some unknown point, blocking the flood surging through the broken barrier with just one hand.

The next second, with a sharp sizzle, the floodwaters evaporated completely within Yue Xichen’s palm.

White robes fluttering, black hair like a waterfall this perfect silhouette burned an indelible mark into A-Yin’s wide-eyed gaze.

The sun set behind the mountains, and red clouds filled the sky.

The Jing River returned to tranquility, its waters shimmering. The people of Yangzhou City resumed their routine of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

Lingyun Mountain, Hall of Discipline.

A hundred disciples of the Discipline Hall stood expressionless on both sides. Directly ahead sat the Sect Leader Yue Xichen, the South Peak Master Su Muzhi, the North Peak Master Li Yan, the five Great Elders of the Inner Sect, and—

A-Yin.

A-Yin’s hands were behind his back, his wrists bound by thorny vines. He was kneeling on the ground, awaiting his trial.