Chapter 24: Your Master Never Lies

"Attack. Remember, I want him alive. Lin Jingyu is dead, but his talent was quite decent; once I implant the White Lotus Heart, he shall serve as a replacement for Lin Jingyu."

The Gray Daoist had not expected Yang Le to act with such decisiveness. Even from several meters away, he could perceive the sharp, piercing sword intent radiating from Yang Le. Such a talent—he wanted him. Vaguely, the Gray Daoist subconsciously felt that the person standing before him possessed even greater natural aptitude than Lin Jingyu.

"Regardless of whether you are from the Great Qian or some other faction, since you have appeared before me, you are mine now."

A gust of gale swept across the Gray Daoist’s body. In an instant, he retreated behind his guardians, his eyes filled with curiosity. His ash-gray, dead-fish-like eyes stared fixedly at Yang Le, flickering with a hint of excitement. As for the death of Lin Jingyu, it had almost no impact on the Gray Daoist’s state of mind, causing at most a slight surprise. Lin Jingyu had originally been a puppet he had selected for his excellent martial cultivation; once he grew to a high position within the White Lotus Sect, the Gray Daoist could have reaped the benefits. But Lin Jingyu had died—died in a place he shouldn't have.

"No matter, the dead are useless. But as it happens, a better one has arrived."

Squinting, a trace of joy appeared on the Gray Daoist’s brow. As for whether Yang Le could kill his guardians, or even himself... in the Gray Daoist’s view, that was absolutely impossible. He was only a seventh-rank. No matter how strong a seventh-rank was, he was still just a seventh-rank.

"Drop your sword, and you may live!"

"Attack! Do not kill him, but breaking his leg bones to use as my new drumsticks will suffice."

"Heh heh heh, just in time for the bone-replacement ritual required to enter the White Lotus Sect; I want his facial bones!"

"Secret Art: Force Formulation!"

In an instant, several naked martial artists covered in bronze-colored runes appeared around Yang Le. Yang Le knew these were the so-called "guardians" the Gray Daoist had spoken of. As they channeled the talismans in their hands, a blood-red halo surged from within their bodies, their violent power fully revealed.

"A secret technique of the White Lotus Sect? Bodies as hard as iron?"

Seeing they were only at the eighth rank, Yang Le felt a bit strange, but he swung his sword nonetheless. However, when the blade touched one of the bodies, it left no scratch. After being blocked by the bronze inscriptions, the strike even emitted a metallic clanging sound.

Looking at the sword, a tiny notch had already appeared on the blade. Instantly, Yang Le sensed something peculiar; these so-called guardians were definitely not ordinary eighth-rank martial artists.

"Heh heh, these are not simple eighth-rank martial artists. Killing Lin Jingyu was enough to prove your talent, but you cannot be a match for my guardians."

Seeing a look of confusion on Yang Le’s face, cold words spilled from the Gray Daoist’s lips, his eyes filled with mockery, like an old man teasing a child. A seventh-rank martial artist could not break the defenses of his guardians.

"Hmm, truly strange." Yang Le had to admit that these naked giants exceeded his expectations. But the next second, he prepared to strike again.

"Master, these are guardians refined by the White Lotus Sect’s Bone Branch using a special secret art. Although they are only eighth-rank in martial cultivation, their external defense is comparable to a sixth-rank body-refining martial artist. They cannot be defeated by force."

Just as Yang Le prepared to strike, a familiar figure appeared nearby. It was Li Qier.

"Why are you here?" Yang Le looked at her, surprised. "Wasn't it agreed that we would stick to our roles—I do the killing, and you do the hiding?"

"When Master is in trouble, how can your disciple be absent?" In such a dangerous situation, Li Qier was unexpectedly playful. "I came here to help Master solve a big problem."

"I thought you would betray your master, see me charge into this death trap, and run off to join another sect." Yang Le glanced at her; she had no new injuries, and her old, chronic foot injuries seemed to be healing. He joked casually. As for how Li Qier, a tenth-rank quasi-martial artist, had reached his side, he didn't ask. Since she was already here, there was no point in asking. If she said she was tenth-rank, then she was tenth-rank.

"Master, you!" Li Qier grew anxious and leaped behind Yang Le. "I would never abandon you. If we run, we run together. I came here specifically to solve the problem at hand." To show she wasn't joking, a rare, serious expression crossed her face. "I’m serious. If you don't know the weak points of these White Lotus guardians, it’s quite troublesome."

"No need. I can kill these guardians; I already know the method." Yang Le shook his head faintly. "I am serious, too."

"Master, this can’t be done without a divine weapon!" Yang Le’s true combat power remained a mystery to Li Qier, and the enemies he had slain previously had exceeded her predictions. But she truly did not believe this claim. The corpse-refining methods of the White Lotus Sect were not standard martial arts and had a strange origin that even she didn't fully understand. Although these bronze-grade guardians were the lowest-tier products of that craft, their defensive power was truly terrifying. She knew her master’s sword was sharp, but if he had been wielding a high-grade weapon, she wouldn't have felt the need to intervene. However, the sword in Yang Le’s hand was merely a standard-issue Great Qian blade. She could not believe it could cut through a bronze-grade guardian.

"A silly girl and a boy who doesn't know the height of the sky, spouting nonsense in such a situation." The Gray Daoist, watching from the side, also didn't believe Yang Le could kill the guardians. Initially, Li Qier’s sudden appearance had caught his eye—especially since she knew the secrets of the White Lotus Bone Branch—but after sensing her aura, he realized she was just a tenth-rank quasi-martial artist and lost interest. "Fine, so you are master and disciple. You killed my disciple, I kill yours; consider it even."

"Girl, remember one thing," Yang Le said, ignoring everyone else. He didn't explain, simply raising his sword and speaking to Li Qier, word for word: "Your master never lies."

As his words fell, Yang Le swung. Dense sword energy fused into the final move of his perfected sword technique. In the next second, the sword struck, and the guardian was cleaved in two.

"See, girl? I told you I knew how to break them." Patting Li Qier’s stunned head, Yang Le squinted at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes.