Chapter 397: A Lively Night

Chapter 397: A Lively Night

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

"What do you mean by saying I can't suppress Ba Lao'er's fate? And what is this backlash you're talking about?!"

Qiu Jin'an immediately felt something was wrong. It seemed that there were aspects of this technique he wasn't fully aware of.

Meng Jingzhou felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that they had gotten themselves into big trouble. He explained, "Take me as an example: I can use the Single Curse Fist on Golden Core Stage cultivators and, in some cases, on Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. But I can't use it on Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators because they're stronger than me—I can't overpower them."

"Also, if I use the fist on a Golden Core Stage cultivator whose romantic connection is tied to someone at the Spirit Transformation Stage, I still can't land the punch. It's as if I'm trying to use the technique on a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator directly!"

Meng Jingzhou thought of Li Haoran. Li Haoran was romantically linked to Su Yiren, a powerful Unity Stage expert. If he tried using the technique on Li Haoran, the outcome would be clear: nothing would happen to Li Haoran, but Meng Jingzhou would suffer the backlash!

Qiu Jin'an's eyes widened. "Nonsense! I'm the head of an Immortal Sect. How could I not be able to suppress someone like Ba Lao'er?"

Meng Jingzhou stayed silent. The look in his eyes made Qiu Jin'an feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He understood what that look meant—he might be able to suppress Ba Lao'er, but not the other half of Ba Lao'er's romantic connection!

Qiu Jin'an, having faced countless challenges in his life, managed to calm himself. He asked, "Then what exactly is this backlash?"

"The backlash means that, for a period of time, you'll lose any fate connections with women. You won't be able to interact with any women, and circumstances will constantly drive them away from you. Likewise, women will also be driven away from you by strange coincidences."

"You know about a compass, right? How the poles repel each other?"

Qiu Jin'an was taken aback. The effect of the backlash was far harsher than he had imagined.

"Have you ever experienced this backlash?"

"No."

"Then how can you be so sure it's real?"

"Eldest Senior Sister told me."

Qiu Jin'an's last glimmer of hope was extinguished.

Grandpa Ba wasn't much less experienced in the world than Qiu Jin'an. Though he now seemed like a kindly old man lounging in front of the medicinal garden, he had once earned quite a reputation during his younger days wandering the martial world.

It didn't take long for Grandpa Ba to piece together what was happening with Meng Jingzhou.

"That must be the Five Elements Sect's possession technique! The only one who could be using Disciple Meng against me is Qiu Jin'an!"

Previously, Grandpa Ba had always felt uneasy about Shangguan Yu spending so much time with Qiu Jin'an, constantly seeing him as a nuisance.

Now, however, he couldn't feel more agreeable toward Qiu Jin'an.

"Ah, Little Qiu, there's no need for such hostility between us. I misunderstood you in the past, but now that the air is cleared, we should get along harmoniously."

"And remember, the Five Great Immortal Sects move as one. As the Sect Master of Five Elements Sect, you represent its will. Acting like this toward me might give outsiders the impression that there's tension between Dao Seeking Sect and Five Elements Sect."

Grandpa Ba spoke as if he were a kindly father trying to reconcile with a rebellious son.

"Ba Lao'er, I've had enough of you!"

Qiu Jin'an erupted in anger, jumping out of Meng Jingzhou's body and tossing him aside, rolling up his sleeves, ready to fight.

Grandpa Ba calmly pressed his palms together, rotating them in opposite directions. At his feet, countless dark vines spread out. These vines were designed to drain spiritual power. Once someone was entangled, their spiritual power would rapidly deplete, leaving them weak and unable to resist.

"Wood Element Trap Formation?"

Qiu Jin'an immediately recognized the formation beneath his feet and scoffed disdainfully.

Qiu Jin'an had been ambushed by this formation many times since he was young, so there was no way he would let Ba Lao'er succeed today.

"Bring it on!"

A blinding light appeared in his palm, forcing Meng Jingzhou to squint. When Meng Jingzhou's vision returned, he saw Qiu Jin'an wielding a radiant five-colored wheel. With a casual sweep of the wheel, the dark vines lost their vitality, withering and falling limply to the ground.

"Five-Colored Light Wheel!"

Grandpa Ba felt the pressure. While he excelled in wood-element techniques and formations, his proficiency couldn't match Qiu Jin'an's mastery of five-element spells. It was as if he had lost an arm in this confrontation.

Qiu Jin'an's rise to sect leader was based on absolute power!

"Ba Lao'er, take this!"

The Five-Colored Wheel spun rapidly and flew toward Grandpa Ba. In response, Grandpa Ba's arms transformed into thick tree branches, catching the wheel as sparks flew from the impact.

"Qiu Jin'an, how dare you sneak into Dao Seeking Sect and even kidnap my disciple!" The voice of the Third Elder boomed from afar, reverberating like a lion's roar from the Buddhist sects. His voice was so loud that all nine peaks of Dao Seeking Sect could hear him clearly.

Upon hearing the Third Elder's voice, countless disciples were thrilled, excited that there was a spectacle to watch.

"Twenty skewers to go, please!"

"I'll take thirty beef skewers, extra spicy, also to go!"

Disciples hurried to the medicinal garden, hands filled with various snacks, eager to see the commotion.

Lu Yang was meditating, with the Qingfeng Sword and Underworld Moon Sword hovering beside him like divine protectors.

Exiting his meditative state, he opened his eyes, puzzled. "What's going on? Is someone invading the Dao Seeking Sect?"

Lu Yang was baffled. Who would be bold enough to cause trouble at the Dao Seeking Sect? Could they have gotten drunk?

"Wait a minute... For someone to infiltrate the Dao Seeking Sect, they must have some hidden cards. Maybe they're planning an internal attack to break our defenses!" Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lu Yang's expression turned serious. With his Eldest Senior Sister absent from the sect, he feared the worst.

"Could this be a sect-destroying crisis?"

A vivid scene flashed in Lu Yang's mind: The Dao Seeking Sect in ruins, disciples scattered, and himself leading the remaining survivors, fleeing under fake identities, desperately preserving the last remnants of the Dao Seeking Sect. Above, enemy spells rained down, with survival hanging by a thread...

Gripping the Qingfeng Sword, Lu Yang began his descent from the mountain, but as he approached, he saw his senior brothers and sisters strolling by with snacks in hand, looking relaxed. He stopped in his tracks, feeling like he had been cultivating for too long and lost touch with reality.

"Maybe I should grab a bite too."

Meanwhile, the Third Elder stood righteously in mid-air, glaring down at Qiu Jin'an and Grandpa Ba.

As the Third Elder arrived, the other elders still present at the sect quickly followed: the Fourth Elder, Seventh Elder, Eighth Elder...

"What's going on? Why is Qiu Jin'an here?" Seventh Elder, who had been deep in his alchemy research, was confused by the sudden call from the Third Elder.

"These two have been fighting since they were kids. This isn't the first time. What's the big deal?" Fourth Elder shrugged, indifferent.

"Who should we help?" Seventh Elder asked, watching the intense battle between Grandpa Ba and Qiu Jin'an, torn between the two.

By all rights, they should support their Second Brother and fight the outsider Qiu Jin'an. But considering that Grandpa Ba had been shamelessly pursuing Shangguan Yu, maybe he also deserved a good beating.

The Third Elder, wise and decisive, quickly made a judgment.

"If we don't know who to help, then let's just beat up both of them!" he said sternly.

"Great idea!" The four elders reached unanimous agreement, activating their spiritual qi and charging down together.

Qiu Jin'an's face changed. With the number of opponents growing, it was clear things wouldn't end well if this dragged on. His best option was to escape!

Grandpa Ba also sensed something was off. The expressions of the four elders didn't seem to be solely focused on Qiu Jin'an.

Deep in the bamboo forest by Dao Seeking Sect's entrance, the river spirit gazed at the brightly lit scene unfolding in the sect, watching with a look of amusement.

(End of the chapter)