Chapter 280 – The Night Still Young, Three Venerables Confront

Ye Kuang: “What do you mean by that?”

Upon hearing this, Qing Ge’s expression shifted abruptly. Clearly, he hadn’t expected this young man to be so relentlessly sharp-tongued, yet his intelligence was undeniably concerning.

“Idiot,” Qing Ge muttered under his breath, casting a cold glance at the surrounding crowd of over a hundred people. He then conspicuously drew out a pair of white silk gloves from his chest.

Just as Ye Kuang was about to rebuke him upon hearing this, he was met with an utterly absurd sight.

He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly: “Hah, with a man’s body but a woman’s heart—don’t make me despise you…”

But before he could finish his thought, a jade-white blur suddenly shot toward him.

Qing Ge had actually slapped him!

Ye Kuang swiftly sidestepped to evade the strike, but once he steadied himself, he couldn’t suppress his rising fury.

Little did he know, Qing Ge had already charged into the crowd. With swift hands and feet, jade-white afterimages flickered repeatedly under the night sky, conspicuously splattering blossoms of blood.

Witnessing this, Ye Kuang was left speechless.

He then couldn’t help but curse inwardly: “This bastard is definitely doing it on purpose…”

Roar, roar, roar!

At that moment, the crowd was thoroughly enraged.

One might say they had strength in numbers—enough to drown the two of them in spit—but what infuriated them was that these two, whom they saw as already dead, dared to strike first.

“Kill them all! Execute them on the spot!”

“Ahhh…”

In the chaos, Qing Ge clearly made no distinction between friend and foe. With two palms striking sideways, he brutally slammed into the chests of two individuals.

As Vigorous Qi surged forth, the two men widened their eyes in shock, their chests and backs instantly bursting open.

The scene was one of blood splattering in all directions, yet none of it seemed to stain the white afterimage.

Even Ye Kuang couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

It was only at this moment that he realized Qing Ge, who appeared harmless on the surface, was far more ruthless in action.

With this thought, Ye Kuang then released a glint of cold light from his hand.

Swoosh.

That sword strike was vicious, incredibly precise, and swift, piercing straight through one man’s chest and out his back.

His footwork was equally agile, his afterimage swiftly passing by as a body was sent flying forward.

It was only then that the crowd of over a hundred snapped back to reality, erupting in screams.

“Dammit, watch out for that guy in white! His gloves are as sharp as blades.”

“And that guy the Venerable One is after—this kid is downright treacherous.”

“Draw your weapons!!!”

Clang, clang, clang!

In an instant, the sound of unsheathing weapons echoed under the night sky, merging into a vast, roaring tide.

Qing Ge zeroed in on the flickering lantern light, seizing two blades with his hands, only to violently twist them into contorted shapes in the blink of an eye. Raising his hands, he then unleashed a flurry of fierce punches.

Thud, thud!

Dull, unsettling sounds reverberated, making it hard for anyone to suppress their trembling.

Two more individuals fell, completely vanquished in this foreign land.

Meanwhile, Ye Kuang’s cold glint repeatedly darted out, clashing fiercely with several swords and blades.

Clang, clang, clang!

For a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Why were the opponents coming at him either at the Innate realm or the Dao Inquiry stage?

In contrast, those targeting Qing Ge seemed utterly powerless.

With this thought, Ye Kuang’s heart grew unsettled, and the edge of his sword grew three parts sharper.

As his sword swept out, even in the dim lantern-lit night, one could easily spot a Sword Light darting back and forth across the scene.

When Ye Kuang deflected a blade, he swiftly drew a line of blood with a backhanded slash.

By this time, Qing Ge had long since vanished without a trace.”Damn! This brat is ruthless, making me face the siege alone,” Ye Kuang roared.

But before his words faded, they were completely drowned out by countless howls and shouts.

Unbeknownst to him, the situation at Buzhou Mountain was even more perilous.

Under the night sky, three figures shot forward, their speed as swift as a chilling gust, startling numerous night owls into screeching.

Just as they were about to charge up Buzhou Mountain, Old Taoist and Old Alchemist, two of the Venerables, rushed over one after another, blocking their path.

Their unified gaze was stern and unyielding, then they clashed like five thunderbolts striking head-on.

Whoosh-boom! Whoosh-boom!

Old Alchemist thrust his palms through the air, his anger making his hair stand on end. “You treacherous old fool, you’ve betrayed your word!”

Old Artificer, hearing this, fiercely grabbed at a leg that had appeared out of nowhere, the Vigorous Qi swirling around him slicing through the air like blades and swords.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The moment they engaged, the entire scene erupted as if countless thunderclaps had exploded simultaneously.

The ferocity of the rampant energy not only shattered ancient trees within a ten-meter radius but also caused the ground beneath them to sink by three feet.

Old Alchemist, struck by the impact, swiftly retreated backward.

At the same time, Old Taoist was no exception.

Yet, shockingly, a trickle of crimson blood seeped from Old Taoist’s lips, as if he had sustained serious internal injuries from the earlier collision.

Instead, the standoff between the five silently declared that there was no room for compromise left!

Oppression!

A murderous atmosphere!

Among the three black-clad men, one removed the black cloth from his face, revealing a visage etched with complex emotions.

It was a sight that would startle anyone—it was none other than Old Artificer, one of the famed Three Venerables of Kunlun.

“Alchemist, as the saying goes, a wise man knows when to yield. Why can’t you understand my well-intentioned efforts?”

“Bullshit! If the Secret Realm is destroyed, you’ll be Kunlun’s greatest sinner for all eternity!”

“Sigh… Old Alchemist, there’s no use in arguing further. The Old Artificer is long dead; the one before you now is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

At these words, Old Artificer’s expression shifted involuntarily.

This scene drew eerie chuckles from the two shadowy figures lurking nearby.

“Artificer Venerable, why waste words on these doomed men? Better to focus on how to earn the Sect Leader’s favor and fully devote yourself to our Demon Sect.”

“Kunlun’s two-thousand-year decay is already set in stone. The old ways should be utterly buried in the river of history.”

As they spoke, the area was suddenly surrounded by countless troops.

They were none other than Kunlun’s remaining Blood Blade Guard, arrayed in black, white, and gray formations.

Seeing this, Old Artificer couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, yet he still spoke out clearly, persuading, “Can’t you all see the situation clearly? The Demon Sect’s power is beyond our imagination. While there’s still room for negotiation, why not heed my advice? Surrendering to them is no disgrace, for Kunlun will still endure.”

But to Old Artificer’s coaxing, the crowd remained indifferent, their eyes cold and sharp.

Observing this, Old Artificer seemed unwilling to give up, muttering to himself, “Are you all so stubborn that you’d choose death over life?”As he spoke, Old Artificer suddenly shifted his tone and roared fiercely: “They were right—Kunlun has long been corrupt. If we don’t strive to return to the Peak, then let it be utterly destroyed. From now on, the world will hear only one voice from Kunlun, and that will be mine—Artificer Venerable.”

Hearing this, Old Taoist could not help but cry out in sorrow and anger: “Old Artificer, you are beyond redemption! As for our mission, I fear you have long forgotten it entirely. No amount of words now can erase the fact that you are a traitor.”

Yet his tone then shifted, becoming equally desolate, as he continued: “But I must remind you—how can one gain advantage by conspiring with a tiger? And we are not as stubborn as you claim. Rather, it is you who have long discarded something precious!”

“That is the belief in being human, the faith in holding fast to one’s original intent. All these words ultimately circle back to the way of being human!”