The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace-Chapter 128: Life is not easy

"Once we finish this task, we’ll both earn a generous sum of spirit stones," the middle-aged cultivator said.

"Afterward, we can find a secluded cave and enter seclusion for a few years to safely improve our cultivation."

The black-clad youth, chewing on a blade of grass, rested his hands behind his head and stared at the broken roof of the old temple, through which he could see the gloomy, overcast sky. He murmured wistfully, "Honestly, I’d like to find a Dao partner, start a family, and slowly build my own clan.

Maybe, over time, I could grow it into something as prominent as the Three Great Houses. It’d be far better than living as a rogue cultivator, risking my life on a knife’s edge every day."

"Building a clan is no easy feat," the middle-aged cultivator replied with a sigh.

"You only see the glory of the Three Great Houses now, but you don’t realize how many generations, even dozens of generations, of bloodshed and struggle it took for them to achieve their current stature.

Even now, they’re constantly fighting to secure their position and maintain their legacy.

Establishing a legacy is hard. Preserving it is even harder."

The middle-aged cultivator’s tone was tinged with both criticism and deep lamentation.

"I thought living as a rogue cultivator would bring freedom and peace," he continued. "But it turns out this life isn’t much better than the alternatives. If I’d known, I might’ve preferred to remain a mortal."

"A mortal?" the youth scoffed. "Base insects, lives as fragile as grass. In this blood-soaked world, mortals have it even harder."

"So, if this isn’t easy and that isn’t easy, what is the path to true freedom?" the youth asked, frustration plain on his face.

"Death is true freedom," the middle-aged cultivator replied indifferently.

"Unless, of course, death makes you a wandering ghost, captured by some Daoist priest or turned into a puppet by a cultivator. That would be even worse," the youth retorted, rolling his eyes.

"In this world, all beings struggle. The so-called cage of life is universal. Only those who attain the true path of immortality may transcend it and roam the heavens freely," the older man said, gazing outside the temple at a swift rain-swallow darting through the sky. The idea of true freedom through immortality filled his heart with longing.

"But how many can truly attain immortality?" the youth muttered.

"We cultivators strive for it, yet the road is paved with corpses," he added, his expression darkening. For a moment, doubt clouded his thoughts about his own path forward.

"Someone’s coming!"

The youth’s musings were interrupted as his keen spiritual sense detected a powerful presence rapidly closing in on their location.

"So, Yun Warehouse Yun Clan’s Linggen disciple does have some skill," the middle-aged cultivator remarked, his brows lifting slightly.

He hadn’t expected the Yun Clan to discover their presence so quickly.

"It seems to be a girl," the youth noted with a smirk.

"That would be Yun Yanshuang, the strongest Linggen disciple of the Yun Warehouse Yun Clan," the older man replied.

"A sword cultivator, right?"

"Indeed."

"Are you handling this, or should I?" the youth asked, grinning.

"You’re no match for her with your inferior cultivation. I’ll take care of it," the middle-aged cultivator replied, rising leisurely and walking out of the temple as if on a casual stroll.

"Be careful. That Yun Yanshuang brought a spirit beast with her. Its cultivation is roughly at the fourth stage of Embryo Breath," the youth added.

"I know," the older man replied calmly.

A graceful figure descended onto the branch of a towering tree outside the temple. Yun Yanshuang’s piercing gaze fixed on the temple’s entrance as the middle-aged cultivator stepped out, hands clasped behind his back.

Behind her, the Golden-Eyed Beast landed with Yun Yanshui on its back, keeping its distance while Yanshui gripped his black war bow tightly, ready for action.

"Who are you? Why summon a Tongzi Demon to cause trouble at my Yun Clan’s market?" Yun Yanshuang asked coldly, her tone unyielding.

"Just a rogue cultivator, hardly worth mentioning," the older man replied with a faint smile.

"As for why I disrupted your market—your Yun Clan should learn its place. Building a cultivation market isn’t something your clan is capable of," he added, his tone calm and measured.

At his waist hung a gourd adorned with blood-red talismanic markings. As he uncorked it, a black mist seeped out, thick with malice and sinister energy.

The mist coalesced into the form of a ghostly figure—a half-sized Tongzi Demon covered in green scales, with crimson eyes and jagged fangs.

The demon’s malevolent gaze locked onto Yun Yanshuang, radiating an aura of relentless hatred.

"You’re deliberately sabotaging my clan’s efforts. Clearly, someone has sent you," Yun Yanshuang deduced, her voice icy.

"Impressive. I underestimated you, Yun Clan’s Linggen disciple. You discerned the truth from just a few words," the older man admitted, a hint of admiration in his tone.

For a moment, he marveled at the young woman’s sharp intuition. Though still young, she possessed a keen mind and formidable skill.

The Yun Warehouse Yun Clan’s future looked bright with such talents.

But this time, the Yun Clan had crossed a line, threatening certain interests. They would have to pay the price.

"Who sent you?"

"No comment," the man said, his tone turning cold.

"So, you’ll only talk after tasting some pain?" Yun Yanshuang’s voice turned icy as she flipped her hand, summoning her Qingshuang Sword into her grasp.

As she gripped the blade, spiritual energy surged into it, and an overwhelming aura erupted from her body.

The middle-aged cultivator’s expression stiffened, his brows furrowing deeply. Embryo Breath, seventh stage? He hadn’t anticipated that the Yun Clan’s Linggen disciple had advanced her cultivation so rapidly.

Swish!

With a swift swing, her sword unleashed a torrent of sword energy.

The middle-aged cultivator quickly regained his focus, stepping lightly off the ground to narrowly dodge the incoming attack.

But before he could steady himself, Yanshuang activated Treading Snow Without a Trace, instantly closing the gap. In a flash, her sword tip was a mere half-inch from his brow.

So fast!

His pupils contracted as he marveled at her terrifying speed and skill. Yet, relying on years of combat experience, he barely managed to evade the deadly strike.

With a flick of his fingers, he threw a Thunder Spirit Talisman into the air.

Crackle!

Bolts of lightning, as numerous as writhing dragons and serpents, surged forth with a menacing roar, targeting Yanshuang.

The Thunder Spirit Talisman, a second-grade yellow-tier talisman, could grievously wound a cultivator at the fifth stage of Embryo Breath. Against someone at the seventh stage, however, it would merely slow them down.

In response, Yanshuang pointed her sword forward, conjuring countless sword shadows.

The swarm of sword shadows merged into a protective barrier before her, like a shield, intercepting the lightning bolts one by one until the talisman’s power was fully dissipated.

The middle-aged cultivator’s expression darkened as he muttered under his breath, "Such dense and solid spiritual energy, a high cultivation level, exceptional movement techniques, and mastery of sword arts… This Linggen disciple of the Yun Warehouse Yun Clan is no simple opponent.

Her abilities rival those of the Linggen disciples from the Three Great Houses and Seven Prominent Clans.

It’s hard to imagine that the Yun Warehouse Yun Clan, a small cultivation family with only a few years of history, could nurture such a prodigy."

Realizing that the Thunder Spirit Talisman had utterly failed to hinder her, the cultivator grew increasingly uneasy. His prior intelligence about her abilities was clearly outdated.

This duel was becoming far more perilous than he’d anticipated—carelessness could very well cost him his life.

"Tongzi Demon, attack!"

Seeing his talisman’s failure, the cultivator barked an order without hesitation.

The Tongzi Demon, who had been waiting eagerly, immediately transformed into a black mist and lunged toward Yanshuang with a ferocious roar.

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"Do you think a mere sixth-stage Embryo Breath spirit can contend with me?"

Yanshuang’s expression remained cold as she swung her sword backward. A powerful wave of sword energy slammed into the charging demon, sending it hurtling backward.

The cultivator, however, had not pinned his hopes on the Tongzi Demon defeating Yanshuang. Instead, he used the distraction to draw two more talismans from his pouch: a Fireball Talisman and an Ice Arrow Talisman, both second-grade yellow-tier.

Just as he infused spiritual energy into the talismans to activate them, a sudden and overwhelming sense of danger gripped his heart.

Turning his gaze, he saw a luminous arrow of spiritual energy speeding toward him like a bolt of lightning—too fast to evade.

Thud!

The arrow struck with devastating force, piercing through his shoulder and sending him crashing to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

The two talismans slipped from his fingers, their power dissipating as they hit the ground.

The golden-eyed beast, with Yun Yanshui on its back, now became the center of attention. His calm demeanor belied his sharp senses, which quickly locked onto the fleeing black-clad youth, who had been watching the battle from the temple.

Drawing his bow once more, Yanshui infused it with spiritual energy. Another arrow swiftly materialized and shot forward, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle.

"Damn it! That idiot!"

The fleeing youth cursed under his breath.

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"I specifically asked him if he had thoroughly investigated the situation, so we wouldn’t get caught off guard.

He swore everything was fine! And now it turns out that Yun Yanshuang is far stronger than expected.

And that boy riding the spirit beast? He’s even more terrifying—he took down that fool with a single arrow!"

He clenched his fists, frustration and fear mingling as he muttered, "This mission… it’s a loss!

The Yun Warehouse Yun Clan has more than just Yanshuang and Yantian. There’s a third Linggen disciple!"

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he realized the gravity of his mistake. "This mission can’t continue. If I don’t leave now, I’ll lose my life."

The youth activated a Swift Movement Talisman, hoping to escape further pursuit. But as he took his first step, another spiritual arrow pierced through the air, striking him in the back of the head.

Thud!

The arrow tore through his skull, spraying blood and brain matter as his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.