How could someone as bright and clever as Jing Mingxuan ever do anything against his own interests?
The elders who had chosen the second option wanted to argue, but the moment they opened their mouths, they heard Jing Mingxuan's cold and merciless voice.
"Master! If those who chose the second option don't leave the Jing family within a day, kill them!"
Su Muchan let out a soft "Hmm," and then, to intimidate everyone present, she instantly unleashed a terrifying aura.
The elders of the second option shut their mouths at once, close to tears, not even daring to show a trace of anger for fear that Jing Mingxuan would find a pretext to wipe them out.
Some of the fence-sitting elders even directly asked, "Young Master Mingxuan, can we change our choice now?"
"What do you think?" Jing Mingxuan stared at him with a face full of smiles.
That elder shuddered violently and forced himself to say, "I think we can."
"Heh! You only get one chance, there won't be a second."
Jing Mingxuan sneered twice, completely shutting down any room for negotiation.
Most of the elders who chose the second option looked ashen-faced.
"Everyone! We have cultivation, strength, and most importantly, connections. Worst comes to worst, we can just build a new Jing family!"
Once the first person shouted the slogan, a second and a third followed.
Soon, the elders of the second option radiated an imposing momentum, even looking down with contempt upon Jing Mingxuan and his followers.
In their view, such a pathetic bunch of misfits could never support the entire Jing family.
They even daydreamed about Jing Mingxuan coming to beg them for refuge in the future.
Full of ambition and with smiles on their faces, the elders who chose the second option walked out of the council hall.
Jing Ziang sighed with emotion, "With so many elders leaving, we're going to be busy for quite a while!"
"It's fine! Without unity of heart, the Jing family can never become the world's number one cultivation clan," Jing Mingxuan said indifferently.
The current Jing family lacked many cultivation resources and cultivation geniuses.
However, with his Master by his side, cultivation resources would come, and cultivation geniuses would come as well.
Therefore, having the entire Jing family united as one was the most important thing.
Jing Cheng and the elders who chose the first option stared in a daze, having previously thought Jing Mingxuan was just talking big, never expecting him to be serious.
Jing Ziang's gaze froze as his mind raced with a flurry of thoughts.
Ultimately, they all pointed to one conclusion: Jing Mingxuan was breaking the Jing family down only to rebuild it.
He and the family head had wanted to do the same before, but lacked the conditions to do it.
And now, Jing Mingxuan possessed those very conditions...
At this thought, Jing Ziang's gaze shifted to Su Muchan, who had been watching Jing Mingxuan the entire time.
Was the condition this female demonic cultivator?
Just how special was she?
Jing Ziang found his mind drawing a blank, and upon further reflection, Jing Song surely knew something, yet hadn't revealed it during his earlier confessions.
Just as he opened his mouth, his ears caught Jing Mingxuan's loud, resonant voice.
"Elders, please stay."
Whether they had chosen the first option or the second, the elders were once again stunned, unable to figure out what Jing Mingxuan was up to.
Jing Mingxuan said coldly, "Who leaked the news of my master-disciple ceremony to all of you?"
The elders suddenly understood—Jing Mingxuan was rooting out the mole!
Jing Song shuddered all over. Knowing full well the elders would pin it on him, he stood up directly from the side and said, "It was me!"
Jing Mingxuan glanced at him and let out a cold snort.
"Jing Song, you've got some nerve!"
Internally, Jing Song was cursing a blue streak.
He desperately wanted to say that his nerves were actually as small as a mustard seed.
Yet if he said that, he would probably be killed in no time.
So he had to do the exact opposite, hoping it might leave him a sliver of survival.
"Of course! After all, I have someone backing me up."
Jing Mingxuan frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, he realized that Jing Song, who had no particular grudge against him, wouldn't have actively targeted him on his own.
Thus, the possibility that someone was backing and coaching him was most likely true.
"Who is it?"
Hearing this, Jing Song was overjoyed, realizing his chance had come!
"Jing Mingxuan, let's have a life-or-death duel. If you win, I'll tell you who it is."
He was three years older than Jing Mingxuan, so his cultivation was three tiers higher—at the Fifth Layer of Transcendent Realm.
Even if the female demonic cultivator had taken the time to tutor Jing Mingxuan, it was impossible to close a gap of three cultivation tiers.
As long as Jing Mingxuan accepted this life-or-death duel, Jing Song wouldn't dare say his victory was guaranteed, but his odds were extremely high.
Chapter 7: Overwhelming Suppression
Feeling Jing Song's increasingly burning gaze, Jing Mingxuan became even more certain that Jing Song wanted to use this life-or-death duel to stage a comeback.
A gap of three cultivation tiers could indeed give Jing Song better odds.
Yet he forgot that he had recently bound two Great Emperor Tier artifacts, among which the Heaven-Swallowing Wine Gourd could double his strength.
And a three-tier difference in cultivation couldn't possibly provide a doubling of strength.
Though he had never fought Jing Song head-on, he had Jing Song's test data from within the clan.
Roughly speaking, for every tier of cultivation gained, strength increased by 10%.
A brief calculation showed that the current Jing Song was 33.1% stronger than he had been back at the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm.
And as for him? His current stats were actually 25% higher than Jing Song's had been at the Second Layer of Transcendent Realm.
Therefore, unless Jing Song had been holding back some secret weapon, his own win rate was infinitely close to 100%.
Jing Mingxuan considered all this purely because this battle had to be fought, and it had to be won.
Only in this way could the members of the Jing family who chose the first option look to the future with full confidence.
Having waited a long time without receiving a response from Jing Mingxuan, Jing Song furrowed his brow slightly.
Was Jing Mingxuan planning to decline?
That made sense!
In a life-or-death duel, the loser actually dies!
Leaving aside the fact that Jing Mingxuan now had the backing of a female demonic cultivator comparable to a Female Emperor, even just considering his previous status as the eldest young master of the Jing family, it was entirely possible he would refuse.
What made it even more aggravating was that Jing Song didn't dare utter a single word of taunt.
Because doing so might provoke him before having any effect, only for him to be slaughtered by that female demonic cultivator right then and there.
Not only would he die, but he wouldn't even have time to rat out You Feng.
At that moment, Jing Mingxuan spoke up, "I accept your challenge."
Jing Song blinked, his face full of disbelief, his heart fluttering with excitement like a startled fawn.
Hahahaha!
His chance for fame and glory had arrived!
Jing Cheng and Jing Ziang's gazes froze simultaneously.
The two of them realized that Jing Mingxuan must have absolute certainty of victory, alongside some other motive.
Jing Mingxuan turned his gaze to Su Muchan and said softly, "Master, watch closely from the side as I defeat Jing Song!"
Su Muchan nodded obediently. In her perception, Jing Song was indeed somewhat stronger than Jing Mingxuan.
However, with two Great Emperor Tier artifacts empowering him, Jing Mingxuan simply couldn't lose.
A moment later, Jing Song and Jing Mingxuan stood ten meters apart in a straight line.
Seeing that both of them wore expressions of rigorous readiness, Jing Ziang let out a majestic, resonant voice.
"Life-or-death duel, Jing Mingxuan versus Jing Song, begin!"
The moment those words fell, Jing Song's body moved.
He didn't know what hidden cards Jing Mingxuan possessed, so he had to strike swiftly to resolve the fight.
A layer of white radiance burst forth around the precious sword in his hand, containing the full might of his power.
The moment Jing Mingxuan entered his attack range, Jing Song slashed down without a moment's hesitation.
Violent Slash!
With a swish, Jing Mingxuan drew the Purple Lotus Sword from his waist and met the blow with a very ordinary parry.
The instant the two swords collided, Jing Song wore a smile. In his view, Jing Mingxuan, who had blocked without using any martial arts techniques, was bound to fail against this strike.
Yet to his utter astonishment, his precious sword was split in two, and the severed half dropped to the ground with a clank.
Simultaneously, an incomparably profound imperial might washed over his entire body.
In that instant, Jing Song found himself unable to mobilize even an ounce of strength, his complexion turning ashen, his whole body trembling.
No matter how poor the judgment of the onlookers, the imperial might sweeping through the entire council hall made everyone realize what was happening.
"No way!" Jing Cheng's mouth twitched, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Jing Ziang, the First Elder, appeared slightly more composed, yet his voice still trembled.
"G-Great Emperor Tier... artifact!"
The elders all froze in place.
Especially those who had chosen the second option; each of their faces bore a complex mix of emotions, as varied as they could possibly be.
No wonder Jing Mingxuan dared talk about building the world's number one cultivation clan!
As it turned out, he had already obtained a Great Emperor Tier artifact from the female demonic cultivator.
At that moment, the elders of the second option felt nothing but regret, over and over again.
The elders of the first option beamed with radiant smiles.
As the saying goes, when one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Jing Mingxuan's boundless future meant that their futures would likewise be boundless.
Jing Song stared in a daze.
To acquire a Great Emperor Tier artifact, he would either have to kill Jing Mingxuan beforehand, or become the Female Emperor's strongest disciple in three years and defeat Jing Mingxuan.
The latter required competing against more than five thousand people, and winning against Jing Mingxuan, who possessed Supreme talent and three years of cultivation.
The former seemed somewhat simpler.
Yet the Female Emperor might not necessarily hand over a Great Emperor Tier artifact, and doing so carried a massive risk of being hunted down by the female demonic cultivator.
Of course, most importantly, he now realized the former wasn't simple either—the person he had to defeat was Jing Mingxuan, who wielded a Great Emperor Tier artifact!
Still, it wasn't a total dead end...
Just as he thought this, a soft "pop" sounded in his ear.
Looking closely, he saw Jing Mingxuan pop open the stopper of the snowy-white gourd at his waist, taking a gulp of wine that exuded a rich, mellow fragrance.
Glug, glug, glug!
After a large gulp, Jing Mingxuan capped the Heaven-Swallowing Wine Gourd and tucked it back into his waist.
A flush appeared on his handsome face as he looked at Jing Song with a semi-intoxicated gaze.
The next instant, his figure vanished from Jing Song's sight.
What?
Jing Song was dumbfounded!
The watching elders were shocked!
The speed Jing Mingxuan erupted with now was vastly faster than before.
Bang!
A palm print appeared on Jing Song's chest.
Pfft!
Jing Song flew backward, spitting a mouthful of blood while staring straight ahead with eyes wide as if he had seen a ghost.
For it was only at this exact moment that he caught sight of Jing Mingxuan's figure.
An overwhelming suppression!
He was completely crushed!
Why was the gap in strength so disparate?
Wasn't he three cultivation tiers higher than Jing Mingxuan?
Accompanied by a heavy thud as he hit the ground, Jing Song finally caught the blind spot in all of this. "Was it... that wine?" he muttered.
The elders were all taken aback.
They had actually suspected the wine themselves, but what kind of wine could possess such miraculous efficacy?
Before they could continue speculating, an imperial might—slightly weaker than the previous one—burst forth and swept across the entire council hall.
The elders were dumbstruck!
"Are you kidding me! That gourd is also a Great Emperor Tier artifact?"
"Two Great Emperor Tier artifacts..."
The intestines of the elders who chose the second option were twisted with regret!
The elders who chose the first option grinned from ear to ear, the corners of their mouths upturned to a crooked height.
As Jing Mingxuan's father, Jing Cheng laughed the most exaggeratedly of all.
Two Great Emperor Tier artifacts weren't actually all that important in his eyes.
What truly mattered was that being able to give Xuan'er two Great Emperor Tier artifacts meant the female demonic cultivator who took Xuan'er as a disciple possessed an unfathomably deep foundation.
Actually...
There was no foundation to speak of; it was purely because the Lord of the Abyss Forbidden Zone had run over to deliver a massive care package.
Lying on the ground, Jing Song's gaze dimmed, his face ashen, and he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Heh! I thought I still had a chance to beat you, but it turns out I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well."
Jing Mingxuan did not lower his guard; he still gripped the Purple Lotus Sword tightly and asked, "So, do you admit defeat now?"
"Yes! I admit defeat!" Jing Song affirmed.
Maintaining his vigilance, Jing Mingxuan slowly approached while asking, "Who is the person behind you pointing you here?"
"You Feng!" Jing Song replied very straightforwardly.
With a calm expression, Jing Mingxuan muttered to himself, "You Feng?"
Inwardly, he was shocked.
This fellow held no low status in the original novel—he was one of the female protagonist's thirty-six personal disciples, ranked thirty-sixth.
Do not underestimate this thirty-sixth place; even just at this ranking, You Feng possessed Great Emperor potential by the mid-stages of the original story.
Though You Feng hadn't broken through to the Great Emperor Realm by the finale, that was merely a matter of time.
Hero number 36...
He hadn't expected to run into him at this point in time.
Jing Mingxuan felt no particular pressure; on the contrary, he felt that crossing paths with You Feng now was You Feng's misfortune.
"Daring to instigate Jing Song to kill me, You Feng, you've got some nerve!"
Watching the malicious smile spread across Jing Mingxuan's face, the onlookers couldn't help but shiver all over.
Seeing this scene, Jing Song was ecstatic. "Jing Mingxuan! I want to see You Feng die with my own eyes. Can you fulfill this small dying wish of mine?"
"No problem!"
Jing Mingxuan replied readily, then looked toward Jing Cheng ahead of him. "Father! Extract his soul and light the lamp."
Jing Song's expression shifted in shock, but upon second thought, it seemed this was the only way he could witness You Feng's death while suffering his own punishment at the same time.
Seeing that Jing Song's expression had grown calm, Jing Cheng knew he had accepted his fate.
Without further hesitation, right in front of everyone, he extracted Jing Song's soul and infused it into the wick of an oil lamp.
The wick was then lit, subjecting Jing Song's soul to the roasting of flames every single moment, drawing out continuous cries of agonizing pain.
The elders were chilled to the bone, not daring to harbor any ill thoughts toward Jing Mingxuan ever again.
Swish!
A lithe and ethereal figure suddenly appeared within the council hall.
"Who dares touch this Emperor's disciple?"
The majestic voice pressed down on everyone present, forcing them to lower their heads—everyone except Jing Mingxuan and Su Muchan.
Jing Mingxuan remained calm and composed, even raising a hand to say, "It was me!"
The female protagonist narrowed her eyes, her previously rosy complexion instantly freezing over.
Damn it!
Why was it this guy?
He had completely ruined the great mood she'd been in after just looting the entire Abyss Forbidden Zone!
Su Muchan chimed in without a trace of politeness, "Your disciple and my disciple engaged in a life-or-death duel, and my disciple won. Therefore, my disciple can dispose of your disciple however he pleases."
"......"
Not to mention how speechless the onlookers were at such a rationale, the female protagonist herself was utterly speechless.
Couldn't she use a more refined and pleasant phrasing to describe it?
Jing Mingxuan chuckled inwardly; his naive Master was truly adorable!
At that moment, the tone abruptly shifted. Su Muchan unleashed her full aura, overflowing with dominance, her face as cold as frost as she sternly said, "I learned from your disciple's mouth that some scum named You Feng wants to kill my disciple. I hope you won't interfere, otherwise this Emperor doesn't mind fighting you for another three hundred rounds."
Chapter 8: Master is Mighty
The female protagonist lightly furrowed her delicate brows, realizing that the situation was spiraling out of control.
This fellow named You Feng was truly hateful, reigniting the tension she had worked so hard to calm down.
Annoyed as she was, she maintained her composure.
"Who is this You Feng?"
Everyone present was stunned.
Jing Cheng stepped forward, cupping his fists in explanation, "He is the young master of the You family, one of the top hundred clans in Tianyan City. He also went to the Ascension Avenue today to seek mentorship, so he should be your disciple."
The female protagonist's face stiffened.
She hurriedly searched through the over five thousand name tablets for You Feng's name.
She found it almost immediately!
A bitter smile instantly surfaced on her face—how could it really be her disciple?
Compared to before she had taken on disciples, this time she had no choice but to face the female demonic emperor head-on.
Otherwise, her reputation would be utterly and completely ruined.
"Jing Mingxuan, do you really have to kill You Feng?"
Faced with the female protagonist's questioning, Jing Mingxuan revealed a resolute gaze and let out a heavy "Hmm."
Under normal circumstances, the female protagonist would undoubtedly have flown into a rage.
However, Jing Mingxuan was Su Muchan's disciple; if she truly lost her temper, the world would inevitably face devastation.
Dammit!
The female protagonist roared internally.
Yet this couldn't really be blamed on Jing Mingxuan—it was purely a mess stirred up by her own disciple.
At that moment, the female protagonist felt a heavy weight pressing upon her.
Jing Mingxuan understood her current feelings all too well.
It was just like playing a game and getting matched with a bunch of troll teammates who couldn't be carried no matter what.
Suddenly, Su Muchan chimed in out of nowhere, "Disciple! She has the aura of that fellow I killed earlier on her."
Seeming to realize her phrasing wasn't precise enough, before Jing Mingxuan could ask who specifically, she added hastily, "It's that fellow who claimed the Purple Lotus Sword belonged to him."
Jing Mingxuan nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
Simultaneously, the female protagonist's pupils constricted slightly, her expression turning somewhat tense.
Yet it vanished just as quickly; without careful observation, it would have been entirely imperceptible.
Happily, Jing Mingxuan caught this moment, and combining it with the original novel's portrayal of the female protagonist—outwardly a pristine white lotus, inwardly black-bellied—
He suddenly realized something and directly questioned her in a cold voice.
"Female Emperor, you didn't happen to take advantage of the chaos when they were leaderless to go on a looting spree, did you?"
Feigning composure, the female protagonist retorted, "No..."
"Don't rush to answer, I was merely guessing," Jing Mingxuan interrupted bluntly. He looked toward Su Muchan and said softly, "Master, can you deduce events that have already happened in the past?"
"I can!" Su Muchan replied with that gentle voice.
Struck by such a fatal blow, the female protagonist panicked even more inwardly!
The look she directed at Jing Mingxuan was fraught with complexity.
There was the impulse to kill Jing Mingxuan, alongside curiosity as to how this fellow kept repeatedly sabotaging her plots.
"Female Emperor, let's go to my courtyard to discuss this in detail. How about it?"
With those words, Jing Mingxuan shot her a pointed "you know what I mean" look.
Gritting her teeth in frustration yet utterly helpless—especially since she still needed to maintain her white lotus persona in front of outsiders—
She could only grind her pearly whites in frustration and let out a heavy "Hmm."
Jing Mingxuan looked around, issuing a cold command, "Father, First Elder, I leave this place to you. If there is any conflict, execute them without mercy."
"Understood!" Jing Cheng and Jing Ziang replied hurriedly.
The elders of the second option instantly lost any remaining thoughts of resistance.
Better a living coward than a dead hero; they understood that much at least.
Jing Mingxuan's gaze shifted to Su Muchan, softening considerably.
Before he could speak, Su Muchan's thought stirred, activating spatial teleportation.
Taking in his surroundings once more, Jing Mingxuan found himself back in the previously tranquil and deserted courtyard.
Moments later, the female protagonist appeared as well. To prevent information from leaking to the outside world, she directly waved her arm, shrouding the entire courtyard in a powerful barrier.