Chapter 58: Nothing But Trash
Could it be that Iron Tea Supreme... is... dead?
This thought suddenly flashed through Huanyue’s mind.
That’s impossible, right? Elder Zhu merely played a tune—could that alone kill a Supreme? And from such a distance, too!
Huanyue found it hard to believe.
But then, the image of Supreme Doutai’s earlier madness surfaced in her mind.
Supreme Doutai, so gifted, had only glimpsed a few of Elder Zhu’s characters and was reduced to such a state; if Iron Tea Supreme died after hearing a song, perhaps it wasn’t impossible after all.
Huanyue stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the flute lying on the ground.
“Teacher, I don’t know where they’ve gone. At the entrance, only Iron Tea Supreme’s flute was left.”
She offered the flute respectfully.
It was left at the door, and since Zhu Xiaoyuan had driven the enemies away, these things naturally belonged to him now.
Huanyue waited for Zhu Xiaoyuan to take the flute from her hand.
Zhu Xiaoyuan glanced lazily at the flute, curiosity tinged in his eyes—what kind of flute would a cultivator use? But at a glance, he looked bored and dismissive. “This flute is terribly made. Tsk. Useless. Just throw it away...”
He spoke with utter disdain.
It was entirely beneath his notice.
Compared to the ones given by his system, this flute was nothing.
To think this was a cultivator’s flute—Zhu Xiaoyuan was truly unimpressed. According to Huanyue and Ruofeng, this was even a Supreme Elder’s flute, yet it was only of this standard.
No wonder the two of them had left their sect.
No future there, absolutely none!
Huanyue and Ruofeng were both shocked!
After all, this flute was a treasure—otherwise, Iron Tea Supreme wouldn’t have chosen it as his spiritual artifact. If it were brought outside, people would fight over it. Yet Elder Zhu couldn’t care less and told them to throw it away!
Their minds were a storm of confusion.
After a long while, the two managed to stammer an agreement.
Huanyue quickly tossed the flute into a nearby trash bin.
“Teacher, there’s something else we want to ask. Now that the Southern Ridge Mountains are like this, should we... should we take action?”
Ruofeng’s voice trembled with unease.
She didn’t know how much her teacher understood about what had happened in the Southern Ridge Mountains, nor whether any of it was Zhu Xiaoyuan’s doing!
But the devastation of the mountains, while the small village remained untouched—didn’t that say everything? It must be because their teacher lived here. Otherwise, the village would have been destroyed along with the mountains!
Hearing Ruofeng’s question, Zhu Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but sigh.
He’d like to act, but he was just an ordinary man—what right did he have to intervene?
“We should wait. Stay inside the courtyard for now and don’t go out—things are chaotic outside!” Zhu Xiaoyuan shook his head and sighed.
This earthquake was just the beginning; who knew if there would be aftershocks? The village was a sanctuary, having survived the quake untouched. It was best not to leave recklessly.
Ruofeng and Huanyue exchanged a complex glance.
Even Elder Zhu was saying this—who could tell what great events might soon unfold in the Southern Ridge Mountains? For Zhu Xiaoyuan to describe the situation as “chaotic,” the matter must be truly grave.
...
At that moment—
Zhu Xin and Haoming had fled far from the village. Only after a long, desperate escape did they finally stop to catch their breath.
“What do we do now? Senior brother, we must have provoked someone terrifying!”
Zhu Xin was frantic, her anxiety overwhelming.
Two Supremes had accompanied them—now, one was insane, the other dead...
Empty Absolute Sanctuary would not survive such news!
“What else can we do? We must return immediately and report this to the Sanctuary!” Haoming’s expression was grim.
“If the Sanctuary intervenes, that forbidden ground and that wretched courtyard will be reduced to ashes! I don’t believe those two wretched girls, Huanyue and Ruofeng, will escape this time!”
With that, Haoming gritted his teeth and pulled out a talisman.
He crushed it at once.
A figure slowly emerged from the shattered jade.
“Speak!”
A commanding voice issued from the apparition.
Haoming bowed respectfully. “Reporting to the Venerable Elder, we have encountered difficulty.”
“On this mission, we discovered Ruofeng and Huanyue had betrayed the sect and taken another master. For the sake of the sect’s honor, Iron Tea Supreme and Supreme Doutai brought us to capture these traitors and bring them back for punishment. But these two caused the death of one Supreme and the madness of another!”
“We are urgently contacting the Sanctuary, hoping they will send reinforcements at once, and help us avenge our Supremes!”
Haoming relayed the matter succinctly.
The figure in the talisman flickered, then vanished without a word.
“Senior brother, what does this mean?” Zhu Xin asked, bewildered.
Haoming blinked, then spoke in a low voice, “The Sanctuary needs to deliberate. With such a disaster, they must discuss their response. All we can do is wait!”
...
Central Continent.
Endless mountains stretched into the clouds.
This was the territory of Empty Absolute Sanctuary. Within its bounds, disciples were immersed in cultivation—some painting, some playing the zither...
The atmosphere was harmonious and natural, the wind danced, fish and birds frolicked—a scene of peerless beauty.
Suddenly, an urgent tolling of bells shattered the calm.
Everyone in the Sanctuary heard it and immediately ceased what they were doing.
The cultivators’ faces changed.
“What’s happening?”
“Why the tolling of the funeral bell?”
“Is it... the death knell? Only when a Supreme perishes does the death knell sound!”
“No way! Has a Supreme of Empty Absolute passed away?”
“That’s impossible!”
Chaos erupted, the once peaceful wind now a violent gale, crushing fish and birds to bloody pulp in the blink of an eye.
Countless eyes turned toward the grand hall of the Sanctuary.
Every disciple sensed it—something terrible had happened in Empty Absolute Sanctuary...
Inside the Sanctuary’s main hall—
Six elders sat, each exuding an aura of overwhelming power.