Spirit Realm

“Why can’t we kill him?” Xing Yao asked.

“Do not ask why, and do not meddle in this matter,” Xing Yumiao said as he looked at his daughter. “I’ll take care of it.”

Xing Yumiao didn’t want his daughter to know too much about the relationship between Blood Fiend Sect and the Xing Family. For many years, Blood Fiend Sect sent people to try and persuade the Xing Family to rejoin Blood Fiend Sect, but he had always firmly refused.

He thought it was too early for his daughter to worry about matters like this.

Just like that, Xing Yumiao silently waited in Xing Yao’s room.

Once Qin Lie returned to his room from Xing Shengnan’s, there was a light knock on the door just as he was about to enter the cultivation room.

“Who is it?” Qin Lie asked, already knowing the answer.

“Xing Yumiao!” A deep voice resounded from outside.

Qin Lie opened the door and saw Xing Yumiao standing in the hallway with a grim expression on his face.

“I’ll leave after saying a few words!” he said.

Qin Lie nodded. “Please, speak.”

Xing Yumiao turned his voice into a thread of sound that only Qin Lie could hear.

“Seventh grandfather had already been dead when the Xing Family endured the calamity of a thousand years ago,” he said. “He couldn’t have left a descendants behind.”

After saying this, Xing Yumiao paused and looked deep into Qin Lie’s eyes.

Qin Lie was calm. He already knew that, since even Xing Yao didn’t believe him and accused him of being a fake, it would be difficult to fool the master of Gold Sun Island.

Xing Yumiao obviously couldn’t be fooled.

Yet Qin Lie remained calm because of his background. He wasn’t afraid that Xing Yumiao would try to kill him.

“I also know that you belong to Blood Fiend Sect!” Xing Yumiao shouted, his eyes as cold and sharp as knives.

Qin Lie nodded slightly.

“I don’t like the way you do things! You know my little sister’s weakness and exploited it! This greatly displeases me!” Xing Yumiao said with a snort. “The Xing Family refuses to interact with Blood Fiend Sect, so I hope you will give up! I want you to disappear as soon as this ship reaches Gold Sun Island. If you don’t… I won’t give Blood Fiend Sect any more face! Your actions have already crossed the line and harmed my family!”

“Come,” Qin Lie said politely. “Shall we talk inside?”

He tried to turn his voice into a thread of sound like Xing Yumiao had, but he wasn’t as skilled. He couldn’t prevent others from hearing him.

As a result, he invited Xing Yumiao to come inside so they could have a discussion in the cultivation room, a soundproof place.

Unfortunately, Xing Yumiao abhorred the way that Qin Lie passed himself off as a member of the Xing Family. He knew that Qin Lie would say this and immediately refused.

“There is nothing to discuss!” Xing Yumiao exclaimed. “I’ve said my piece. This is my final offer: disappear before we reach Gold Sun Island or I’ll kill you!”

Having made this threat, Xing Yumiao turned and walked away without sparing Qin Lie so much as another look.

He had kept his voice low from beginning to end, so no one but he and Qin Lie knew what he said.

Qin Lie rubbed his nose and laughed, then casually closed the door.

Just as he walked into the cultivation room and sat down, Xue Moyan knocked on the door and walked in as well.

“What did Xing Yumiao say to you?” she asked.

“He told me that Xing Shan died a long time ago and that someone like Xing Lie couldn’t possibly belong to the Xing Family,” Qin Lie said with a frown. “He also knows I’m from Blood Fiend Sect and hates that I used the fake identity of Xing Lie to fool Xing Shengnan. He told me that he would eliminate me if I didn’t disappear on my own.”

“You using the identity of Xing Lie was just an accident, but it seems like doing that has truly angered Xing Yumiao. Although you weren’t in the right, not all of this matter is your fault.”

Xue Moyan sighed. She was extremely worried about whether or not Qin Lie could form a friendly relationship with Gold Sun Island.

“He didn’t even give me a chance to explain.” Qin Lie grimaced.

It was clear that Xing Yumiao truly was angry. He thought that, in getting close to Xing Shengnan, Qin Lie had ulterior motives. This crossed the line in Xing Yumiao’s opinion, displeasing him to the point that he didn’t even want to talk.

“There’s still some time before we reach Gold Sun Island, so you’ll still have a chance to explain everything to him,” Xue Moyan said softly, trying to comfort him.

“It doesn’t matter,” Qin Lie said indifferently. “If anything, we’ll just make use of their ship, disregard Gold Sun Island, and return to Blood Fiend Sect.”

Yet Xue Moyan still hadn’t given up.

“If Gold Sun Island and Blue Moon Valley could be convinced to serve Blood Fiend Sect once more, it’d still be a great boon for the sect,” she said.

“We’ll see.” Qin Lie didn’t give her a definite answer.

……

Xing Yumiao and his brother met up again on one of the Flowing Gold Fire Phoenixes.

“Have you made a decision, big brother?” Xing Yuyuan asked immediately.

“They have to disappear before we reach Gold Sun Island!” Xing Yumiao snorted. “If not, they’ll be killed!”

“Aren’t they from Blood Fiend Sect?” Xing Yuyuan exclaimed in astonishment.

“So what if they’re from Blood Fiend Sect?” Xing Yumiao wore a cold expression. “So many years have passed. The current Blood Fiend Sect isn’t the ruler of the Heavenly Calamity Continent that it once was. They’re no longer the benefactors of our Xing Family.”

“But... Blood Fiend Sect has done a great deal for our Xing Family.” Xing Yuyuan sighed.

“And now they’ve almost wounded our little sister yet again! I definitely won’t allow that to happen!” Xing Yumiao shouted, determination on his face. “They also haven’t given up on trying to convince us to join them for years. I’ve grown tired of them! This time, if they don’t leave, I’ll kill them and completely cut ties with Blood Fiend Sect!”

“You’ve truly decided on this, big brother?” Xing Yuyuan asked in shock.

“No one will harm a member of the Xing Family!” Xing Yumiao snorted coldly.

“...what about chief enforcer?” Xing Yuyuan abruptly changed the subject.

A complicated expression emerged on Xing Yumiao’s face.

“He… he’s recently been in close contact with three other enforcers. They’ve been holding frequent secret meetings,” Xing Yuyuan said. “I don’t know what they’ve been discussing, but I don’t think it’s anything good.”

Xing Yuyuan sighed. “Big brother… I’m worried that Xiang Xi harbors ill intent.”

“Don’t speak of such things without evidence!” Xing Yumiao yelled harshly.

Xing Yuyuan grimaced. “I’m afraid that, by the time we have evidence, it’ll be too late.”

“Big Brother Xiang has been good to us. When we joined Gold Sun Island with nothing, he was the one that took us in. In the years after that, we fought for Gold Sun Island, growing in realm and power. It was Big Brother Xiang who stepped aside and gave the position of island master to us.” Xing Yumiao reminisced about the past, then gravely said, “Big Brother Xiang is noble and honest. He has done the Xing Family a great service. We cannot forget our roots!”

“Big brother, when the two of us joined Gold Sun Island, it was just a Black Iron force beholden to the Pan Family. At that time, enemies surrounded Gold Sun Island on all sides, putting it in great danger. We were the ones that fought for Gold Sun Island and helped it overcome that situation,” Xing Yuyuan replied, clearly disagreeing with Xing Yumiao. “Brother, without us, the other forces would have torn Xiang Xi and Gold Sun Island to pieces. They definitely wouldn’t have been able to break free of the Pan Family’s grasp to become a Copper rank force and suppress them in return!”

“The two of us became the masters of Gold Sun Island,” Xing Yuyuan continued. “Do you really think that happened just because Xiang Xi is noble and honest? That he moved aside to more capable people lead? He did that because all of Gold Sun Island reveres us. Everyone knows who the true backbone of Gold Sun Island is. They trust and recognize us alone. That’s why Xiang Xi had to step down.”

Xing Yumiao’s expression was dark as he asked, “What are you trying to say?”

“Big brother, the Gold Sun Island’s six enforcers oversee thirty two island envoys. Of the six, however, three of them are loyal to Xiang Xi and only listen to him. They ignore our orders.” Xing Yuyuan grimaced and shook his head. “How many mistakes has Xiang Xi made in recent years? Those three enforcers, what have they done? Big brother, you’ve always let Xiang Xi do as he wants because of our past friendship, but do you think he’s grateful? No, he isn’t! He still isn’t satisfied! I think that he stills wants to be the master of Gold Sun Island!”

“Shut up!” Xing Yumiao shouted.

“You’re right, I don’t have any evidence. But I’m not blind! I can see it, and I don’t believe that big brother can’t!” Xing Yuyuan sighed. “Big brother has always been vicious and decisive, never showing mercy when it comes to enemies. Why do you fool yourself when it comes to Xiang Xi and our past friendship with him?”

“When the two of us had nothing, Big Brother Xiang was the one that took us in!” Xing Yumiao took a deep breath and yelled, “Unless he truly does something to harm the Xing Family, I forbid you from taking action!”

“If we’re always passive, choosing only to react to things…” Xing Yuyuan frowned. “I’m afraid that we won’t have the power to act when we truly need to.”

“We will no longer speak of this!” Xing Yumiao stubbornly declared.

Xing Yuyuan sighed, shook his head, and left helplessly.

He knew that Xiang Xi had recently been meeting with three other enforcers in secret for some reason. He knew that great waves were headed for Gold Sun Island and the Xing Family.

It was a pity that Xing Yumiao still valued past friendships so much that he couldn’t make a decision. He continued to allow Xiang Xi do as he wanted, build his power base and form his own faction within Gold Sun Island.

Xing Yuyuan sighed inwardly.

“I hope that Xiang Xi remembers past friendships as well.”

……

“I definitely won’t let the Xing siblings return to Gold Sun Island alive!” Xiang Xi yelled. He was a bearded man with a brawny body, his rough features distinguishing him from the other people present. His skin was dark, and he had two deep scars on his face. When he spoke, the scars wriggled like earthworms, giving him a vicious appearance.

He was currently meeting with Bo Boze, Xu Changsheng, and Xu Jiadong, three other enforcers of Gold Sun Island, in a secret room within another Flowing Gold Fire Phoenix. The island envoys subordinate to them were there as well.

“Gold Sun Island belongs to us, my brothers!” Xiang Xi yelled once more.

A confused island envoy spoke up, stating his concerns.

“But… Xing Yumiao is at the peak of the Fragmentation Realm, and Xing Yuyuan is in the middle stage of the Fragmentation Realm.”

Of the people present, only Xiang Xi and Second Enforcer Bo Boze were in the Fragmentation Realm and only the early stage of the Fragmentation Realm. Everyone else was in the Fulfillment Realm.

Although they had more people on their side, if this ended up actually being a fight to the death, the differences in cultivation meant they wouldn’t really have any advantages. The Xing brothers would kill them.

That’s what the island envoys were worried about.

“Don’t worry about the Xing brothers! They’ll be taken care of!” Xiang Xi snarled, a ferocious grin on his face.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing!”