Chapter 3533 — Taunting the Iron Robe Sect

"The night is quiet. The Dark Phoenix Heart Method I cultivate has a calming, focusing effect. I finally understand why Mother has such a gentle temper," Gu Mengyao said with a faint smile.

"Then why is that old crone, Elder Dark Night, so hot-tempered?" Shen Yushu asked.

"Her method is connected to the Dark Phoenix as well, but it isn't the same one. Only those with a Dark Phoenix constitution can cultivate it," Gu Mengyao said.

"Oh, all right." Shen Yushu's temper was as fiery as ever—and why not? She was a fire-element cultivator, after all!

Everyone here was a Heaven-rank Great Perfection expert. Unless one deliberately strained to listen or deliberately shielded oneself, anything said among them was easily overheard by the others.

Xue Li still had no idea that her secret had already reached Shen Yushu's ears—and in no time at all, the rest would know it too, most likely!

Sure enough, no sooner had Shen Yushu told Gu Mengyao than she went off to chat with Feng Xiaoxiao, and then Bingtang at her side learned of it, and then Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi in the back rows learned of it, and so on and so forth...

By the time they got off the bus, everyone was looking at Xue Li rather oddly, which left her quite puzzled. What on earth was the matter with them?

"What are you all staring at?" At last Bingtang's gaze got under Xue Li's skin, and she shot her a disgruntled glare. "Bingtang, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Sister Xue Li," Bingtang said with a grin.

"I'm older than you—why are you calling me sister?" Xue Li blinked.

"You know perfectly well why," Bingtang said, still grinning.

"I know perfectly well?" Xue Li was taken aback, then something seemed to dawn on her. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"From now on, you're the youngest one here, so mind your manners!" Bingtang had finally gotten her own back. The Ice Palace and Snow Valley had always been rivals, each winning some and losing some—but from this moment on, Xue Li would forever be Bingtang's junior!

"You... you... you all know?!" Xue Li was utterly astonished, and her face went red at once, the blush spreading from her cheeks all the way down to the base of her neck.

"If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place!" Bingtang laughed.

Bingtang's words set all the women laughing, Feng Xiaoxiao and Shen Yushu in particular, who rocked back and forth with mirth. Even Wei Zhao was somewhat taken aback—how did they all know? How had the news gotten around?

He himself could not have said it, and Xue Li ought to have been too embarrassed to say it either. This was really something...

But just as everyone was laughing and chatting, two dark figures suddenly appeared in front of the group and the bus. One of them glanced at them all and shouted domineeringly, "Where did a bunch of idiots like you come from? Get lost, now! Is this a place for the likes of you? This is private land. You have one minute to clear out—loiter about here any longer and you won't be going back at all!"

This was the territory of the Iron Robe Sect, and Wei Zhao had parked the bus before the mountain gate precisely to wait for someone to come out—saving himself the trouble of barging in and searching blindly. So when the black-clad men appeared, Wei Zhao did not stop them. Two mere early Earth-rank patrol disciples were nothing in his eyes.

"Is this the Iron Robe Sect?" Wei Zhao asked, glancing at the two of them placidly.

"That's right. Where are you from? Cultivators too?" The black shadow was somewhat surprised—he had not expected Wei Zhao to come out with the name Iron Robe Sect, which clearly meant he knew something of the sect.

Even the villages nearby did not know the name Iron Robe Sect; they only knew that a very powerful sect made its home here.

"My name is Wei Zhao. Bring out whoever's in charge here to see me," Wei Zhao said, too impatient to waste words.

"Wei Zhao? Never heard of you. Who do you think you are?" the leading shadow said impatiently.

"Brother Su, this Wei Zhao—isn't he the formidable fellow those people from the Mystery Investigation Bureau mentioned before?" the other shadow suddenly recalled something and said to the first one, this Brother Su.

"Oh? So the Mystery Investigation Bureau brought you here for revenge, have they? Seems you're itching for trouble again..." Brother Su sneered. But before he could finish, Wei Zhao slapped him flying, and he landed on the ground not far off, twitched twice, and then lay still—plainly dead.

What manner of power was a Heaven-rank Great Perfection expert? A single move could snuff out an early Earth-rank expert outright!

The man had been chattering on and on, and Wei Zhao, unwilling to listen to his noise, simply killed him, then said to the other shadow, "Bring your person in charge out to see me!"

"Ah! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" The shadow was scared witless. He had not expected Wei Zhao to be far more formidable than Qiu Lingshan and Feng Tianlong had been. However strong those two were, neither could have slapped an early Earth-rank expert to death—yet Wei Zhao, with what looked like a casual blow, had killed Brother Su outright!

Terrified, he hurried away, turned, and ran back toward the mountain gate!

All the women were Heaven-rank Great Perfection experts, and they knew the cruelty of the cultivation world—kill or be killed. So they felt not the slightest sympathy for Brother Su. This sect was already rotten: when the beam is crooked, the whole house leans. The entire sect was a pack of arrogant bullies who spoke of annihilating clans at every turn and accused others of asking for trouble. A sect like that could be wiped out and still not be worth mourning!

On duty today was the second disciple of the Iron Robe Ancestor—the second senior brother of these disciples—and when this shadow, Brother Wang, brought him the report, he was furious!

So it was Wei Zhao, that ally of Qiu Lingshan and Feng Tianlong from last time?

Last time, the one who had fled to the Iron Robe Sect was merely an outer sect disciple, but given the Iron Robe Sect's habitual domineering ways, inner sect or outer made no difference—anyone of the Iron Robe Sect was always in the right. So they had beaten Feng Tianlong and Qiu Lingshan grievously, without even asking why.

But what the second senior brother had not expected was that this Wei Zhao really did have some skill. Not that it mattered—however formidable he was, could he be more formidable than Old Zhu himself? He was the Iron Robe Ancestor's prized disciple, an expert at the peak of the late Heaven rank. True, he had not broken through as early as the first and third senior brothers, but within the sect he was still among the top experts.

"Hmph, take me to see him! Whoever dares make a scene here, I, Old Zhu, will slap him to death!" the second senior brother said arrogantly to Brother Wang.

Brother Wang breathed a sigh of relief. He had not clearly seen just how strong Wei Zhao was—it had looked as though he was only at the early Heaven rank when he struck—so he was quite at ease: "With the second senior brother stepping in, that Wei Zhao will be captured with ease!"

"Mm. And this Wei Zhao came alone?" Arrogant as the second senior brother was, he was not a man without brains. He had to ask.

"It's Wei Zhao and a group of womenfolk. Wei Zhao is the only man. They came in a tour bus—from the look of it, they seem to be here sightseeing!" Brother Wang said. (To be continued...)