The few figures sped toward Jiang Ming. Despite not having a clear look, he had a good guess about who they were.
Whoosh!
The Human Path Records flipped open.
Name: Linghu Yin
Gender: Male
Cultivation base: Early-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm
Background: Disciple of Jiuyang Sect's Zhiyang Peak (Note: He's a disciple of the Yinmo Sect).
Relationship: -82.
Status: Under his master's, Yue Cheng, instructions, he incited a few disciples from Lieyang Peak to provoke Chuyang Peak. He looked for his friend, Jia Guang, and said that Chuyang Peak has declined. He also said that its First Seat, Gu Hai, has a terrible cultivation base and is not worthy of being a Peak Master. He also said Chuyang Peak has two disciples who are not even in the Core Formation Realm. He said those on Chuyang Peak are a waste of space and resources. He instigated Jia Guang by saying since Chuyang Peak Master is shameless, they should challenge Chuyang Peak's disciples for the sake of Lieyang Peak's First Seat.
"Linghu Yin…" This was the first time Jiang Ming had thoughts about killing someone.
A few months had passed since he last saw Linghu Yin, but it seemed like Linghu Yin's cultivation base did not improve at all. In fact, this was common among cultivators. It took years to make minor improvements in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
As for their relationship value, it seemed to have improved slightly. Nevertheless, the value of -82 still meant that Linghu Yin would kill given the chance.
As for Linghu Yin's status, he felt rather speechless after reading it. Indeed, schemers would choose to instigate others to achieve their goals.
Clearly, Linghu Yin and Zhiyang Peak were going to borrow Lieyang Peak's hands to act.
Although Jiang Ming did not descend the mountain often, he was aware of the general situation outside.
Lieyang Peak's First Seat, Dongfang Lie, was a stubborn person with a fiery character. He disdained Chuyang Peak's Gu Hai the most and had proposed on multiple occasions to strip Gu Hai of his rank. However, his proposal had never been approved due to various reasons.
With this, it was only natural that Dongfang Lie's disciples did not have good impressions of Chuyang Peak. However, since Jiang Ming and Zi Linglong spent most of their time on the mountain, the others could hardly find chances to look for trouble.
'Master didn't return even though it rained heavily last night. He must be held up by something. Is Yue Cheng trying to take advantage of this? Is that why he sent Linghu Yin to cause trouble?' With this thought in mind, Jiang Ming hurriedly rushed back.
…
When Jiang Ming returned, Zi Linglong was already there. At this moment, her expression was frosty, but flames of fury burned in her eyes. When she saw Jiang Ming, her expressions eased; it was as though the thunder subsided and the storm had passed. She smiled and called out softly, "Senior Brother!"
"We've got company," Jiang Ming jogged over and said, "I might need to trouble you again."
"Leave this to me! They're all clowns!" Zi Linglong said. She did not mind dealing with these people at all.
"However, you won't be able to keep your strength a secret now."
"I never wanted to keep it a secret in the first place."
"Alright. Do you what you must."
"Okay."
The duo briefly conversed as six figures landed on the greeting platform. The person in the lead had long hair, sparkling eyes, and was dressed in a blue robe. Although he was handsome, his arrogance twisted his features. He lifted his chin slightly and smiled disdainfully when he saw Jiang Ming. Then, he asked, "Are you Jiang Ming of Chuyang Peak? I'm Jia Guang of Lieyang Peak."
The others looked at the duo with disdainful expressions on their faces as well.
"Someone should teach you proper etiquette!" Zi Linglong said furiously, "The sect rules clearly state that disciples should ascend the mountain via the steps if they want to visit, and you should address the first disciple as your senior! You flew here and addressed my senior brother by his name. This is a blatant provocation. You should be punished according to the sect rules!"
Jia Guang scoffed. "Eight out of the nine First Seats are in the Dao Seed Realm at least. Chuyang Peak's First Seat is the only one in the Purple Mansion Realm. Moreover, he only just entered the Purple Mansion Realm. Don't you feel ashamed? The other peaks have at least 100 disciples each. Look at Chuyang Peak with its two disciples. You're mere children! Moreover, I heard Chuyang Peak's first disciple spends his day chopping wood, fetching water, and farming. Chuyang Peak is an embarrassment to Jiuyang Sect. What a joke!"
"You're leeches, wasting the sect's resources!"
"Any random Elder from Lieyang Peak is more qualified than Gu Hai!"
"That's right! You're dragging the entire sect down!"
"If Gu Hai isn't an old friend of the Sect Master, he would've been removed from his post long ago!"
"He's nothing but a crazy drunkard!"
Jia Guang grew more excited as he spoke. Jiang Ming's expression of anger only served as his fuel.
"According to the sect rules, any disciple who insults a First Seat will be executed," Jiang Ming said frostily.
"Executed?" Jia Guang laughed. "Who's going to do that? You or her? Don't make me laugh. Moreover, how are you going to prove I insulted a First Seat? Who'd believe you? Oh, don't bother threatening me with your master, Gu Hai. No one cares about him."
"Senior Brother." Zi Linglong's expression was icy. She looked at Jia Guang as though he was a dead man walking. However, she did not make a move. Instead, she looked at Jiang Ming.
"Insulting our master is no different from insulting us," Jiang Ming said tonelessly, "However, it's inauspicious to kill someone on the mountain. Let's just destroy his cultivation base."
"Alright!" Zi Linglong's eyes flashed.
After a slight pause, Jia Guang laughed as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Both of you are going to destroy my cultivation base? Jiang Ming, sorry, I mean, Senior Brother Jiang, you only know how to farm, and you're only a 7th Stage Qi Cultivation cultivator. Zi Linglong, you're just a girl. Both of you really think you can destroy my cultivation base?" He spat on the ground after he finished speaking.
"That's it." Zi Linglong walked over.
Jia Guang laughed again. He tilted his head slightly and said to Linghu Yin, "See? Isn't this better than challenging them? With just a few words, I can make them come to us. It won't be our fault if they get hurt. After all, we're just defending ourselves."
Then, Jia Guang looked at the others and said, "Listen up! We came here to pay our respects and planned to ask that old geezer Gu Hai to share his cultivation knowledge with us. However, not only did his two disciples not welcome us, but they even insulted us. We wanted to leave, but they wouldn't allow us to leave. They wanted to destroy our cultivation bases. With that, we had no choice but to defend ourselves. In the process, we accidentally hurt them. Yes, it was an accident. We barely used one-tenth of our strength, but they were injured."
Then, Jia Guang said mockingly, "He's a first disciple, but he's so useless. No wonder Master often complains about Gu Hai wasting the sect's resources. Both he and his disciples don't make any contributions to the sect at all."
"That's right! The duo wasn't sensible and tried to look for trouble without reason," Linghu Yin chimed in mockingly. He cupped his fists at Jia Guang as he silently stepped backward. Despite his words, he thought to himself, 'Idiot! Zi Linglong is terrifying. You'd be lucky to end up crippled. You're the perfect tool for me to make that dumb mule Dongfang Lie leap into a fit of rage and vent his anger on Chuyang Peak. If we can snatch the position of another First Seat…'
Linghu Yin could not help but smile when he thought about these things.
At this moment, Zi Linglong made a move.
'Zi Linglong is only ten years old. How powerful can she be?' Jia Guang sneered. Although he could not sense it, he was certain she was only at the 4th Stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm at most. He waved his arm and erected a barrier before him, planning to use it to block Zi Linglong's punch.
"What?!" To Jia Guang's horror and shock, the barrier shattered when Zi Linglong's fist connected with it. It was too late for him to react. He might have been careless and underestimated her, but even if he were prepared, the outcome would still be the same.
Bam!
Jiang Guang reeled from the punch. He bent forward like a shrimp. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he cried out. What was most terrifying was that he felt his Dantian explode due to the forceful push of her mana. Just like that, his sea of Qi shattered, and his cultivation base was destroyed. He screamed in despair as he fell off the mountain.
"You're not going anywhere!" Zi Linglong said when she saw Linghu trying to make a run for it. With a swift strike of her palm, she destroyed his cultivation base and sent him flying off the mountain as well. Foundation Establishment cultivators were like ants to her.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The others were still dumbfounded when Zi Linglong turned to them. She slapped them before sending them flying off the mountain as well. However, she did not destroy their cultivation bases. Then, she placed her hands on her back and looked down the mountain. She said haughtily, "Take the two of them away! I don't want them to taint Chuyang Peak with their presence!"
Jiang Ming frowned.
Zi Linglong turned around and made her way back to Jiang Ming. Her domineering and arrogant aura vanished and were replaced by innocence. She grabbed his arm and swung it lightly as she asked, "How did I do, Senior Brother?"
Then, she blinked her big eyes at him as though she was waiting for him to praise her.