Yao Meng saw Ye Qiu block her from killing the little white fox. Her gaze instantly turned sharp. She shouted, “It is no ordinary fox. It is a nine-tailed heavenly fox.”
Ye Qiu replied, “I do not care what breed it is. As long as I am here, you will not kill it.”
With those words, he exerted force between his fingers. The flying dagger snapped in two with a clear clang and fell to the ground.
Seeing him destroy her weapon, killing intent flashed in Yao Meng’s eyes. She cried, “Everyone knows that human cultivators and the demon race are irreconcilable enemies. Monsters deserve death at the hands of all.”
“Are you shielding it because you wish to stand against the entire human race?”
Even the disciples of the Qingyun Sword Sect grew indignant and shouted, “Kill it, kill it…”
“Silence!” Ye Qiu thundered.
His voice carried vast true qi that stabbed painfully into everyone’s eardrums.
In that instant, even Yao Meng felt as though her eardrums might burst. The pain was excruciating.
“Who is this man? His cultivation is terrifying.”
Yao Meng glanced at Yun Xi and the Qingyun disciples, thinking to herself, “Could he be from the Qingyun Sword Sect?”
In her view, if Ye Qiu had no backing, he would never dare oppose her, let alone protect a nine-tailed heavenly fox.
“Who are you?” Yao Meng could not help asking.
“Ye Changsheng!” Three words left Ye Qiu’s mouth.
Ye Changsheng? Who was that?
Yao Meng grew even more puzzled. She had never heard the name, and as far as she knew, none of the renowned geniuses of the Qingyun Sword Sect went by Ye Changsheng.
“You are not from the Qingyun Sword Sect?” Yao Meng asked.
“No,” Ye Qiu answered calmly. “I am merely a nobody.”
A nobody?
Yao Meng was taken aback. A nobody dared to oppose her? Was he courting death?
“I do not care who you are. Step aside at once, or do not blame me for showing no mercy.”
Yao Meng was domineering. As the saintess of the Chaos Sacred Ground and a genius who had opened nine great grotto-heavens, she feared no one, not even Yun Xi, let alone someone who called himself a nobody.
“And if I insist on protecting it to the end?” Ye Qiu’s tone was equally unyielding.
At those words, icy killing intent radiated from Yao Meng. “You dare shield a demon? Are you tired of living?”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
At the same time, the Qingyun Sword Sect disciples tried to persuade him.
“Master Ye, do not involve yourself in this matter.”
“Demons deserve death from all. Protecting one is tantamount to betraying the human race.”
“Betraying the human race brings no good end. Master Ye, do not ruin your future.”
“…”
Ye Qiu sighed inwardly. He had not expected such deep hatred for the demon race. He turned to the Qingyun disciples and asked, “Do you bear any grudge against it?”
They all shook their heads.
“Do you have any enmity with it?”
Again, they shook their heads.
Ye Qiu continued, “Since you have neither past grievances nor present enmity with it, why must you hunt it to the death?”
“Because it is a demon,” one disciple declared righteously. “Demons deserve to die.”
Ye Qiu said, “The Qingyun Sword Sect is the foremost righteous sect of the Eastern Wilderness and has always prided itself on upright conduct. Yet now you wish to kill a fox that has done you no wrong, simply because it is a demon. Do you not find that absurd?”
“Or is this the way of so-called righteous sects?”
“If any of you can tell me this fox has harmed your family or friends and that is why you must kill it, I will not stand in your way. But has it?”
“Since it has harmed none of your kin or friends, why can you not spare its life?”
The Qingyun disciples were instantly rendered speechless.
“Enough of your twisted logic!” Yao Meng snorted coldly. “When humans encounter demons, we kill them. For tens of thousands of years, the human race has always done so. Anyone who refuses stands against the entire human race.”
“Hahaha…” Ye Qiu laughed heartily.
“What are you laughing at?” Yao Meng cut him off, clearly displeased.
Ye Qiu’s expression turned serious. “I do not agree with what you say.”
“Though it belongs to the demon race, as long as it has never harmed humans, it should not die.”
“So what if it is a demon? Are there no good demons?”
“Can it choose the circumstances of its birth?”
“Must it be hunted by humans the moment it is born?”
“What kind of nonsense reasoning 那 is!”
Speaking to this point, Ye Qiu turned to the Qingyun disciples again. “When dealing with others, one must not be narrow-minded. Never assume that because you belong to a righteous sect, everyone else is beneath you.”
“The line between good and evil has always been hard to draw.”
“If a disciple of a righteous sect harbours evil in his heart, he is no different from a villain. If a demon walks the path of kindness, then it is a true gentleman.”
The little white fox had been watching Ye Qiu’s actions and listening carefully to his words. At this moment, its eyes changed, bright and brilliant.
“I never imagined a little human cultivator could hold such views. How unexpected.”
“That little saintess from the Chaos Sacred Ground is truly detestable. If this monarch had not sealed her own cultivation and if it were not for my monthly inconvenience making me unwell, I could reduce her to ashes with a flick of my finger.”
Thinking of her monthly cycle, the little white fox shot Ye Qiu a resentful glance.
“Hmph, that scoundrel actually dared to poke this monarch with his finger… Never mind. For the sake of him speaking up for me, this monarch will let it pass. But if he dares offend me again, I will not forgive him.”
Ye Qiu, unaware of the fox’s thoughts and unable to see the change in its eyes since his back was turned, faced Yao Meng and said,
“You are the saintess of the Chaos Sacred Ground. Dare you claim there are no wicked people within your Chaos Sacred Ground?”
“I suspect some among you act even more despicably than demons, yet have you killed them?”
“In my view, the myriad races of this world should coexist in peace. Only then will there be fewer killings and more harmony and beauty.”
“Well said!” Yun Xi cheered loudly, then ordered the Qingyun disciples, “Stand down.”
The disciples sheathed their swords at once and retreated behind Yun Xi.
They dared not disobey the saintess, especially since Yun Xi was also the beloved daughter of their sect master.
Yao Meng stared coldly at Ye Qiu, unable to find words to refute him. Furious, she snapped, “Sophistry! Let me ask you one last time. Are you truly determined to protect this demon?”
Ye Qiu replied, “I have said I will protect it to the end.”
Yao Meng’s voice turned icy. “Very well. I see you are dead set on betraying the human race. In that case, you cannot be allowed to live…”
“Wait!” Ye Qiu interrupted her. “I said I will protect it to the end, but that does not mean I am betraying the human race.”
Yao Meng retorted, “Shielding a demon is betrayal of the human race.”
Ye Qiu spread his hands. “If you insist on seeing it that way, there is nothing more to say. But if you think you can kill me with your strength, you are mistaken.”
“Is that so?” Yao Meng gave a cold laugh. Killing intent surged from her body.
Battle was on the verge of erupting.
