Yiqin paid no mind to the fierce killing intent surrounding her; her eyes were focused solely on the wounded.
“Where are the injured disciples?” Yiqin frowned and asked sharply.
However, the Taiming Sect disciples present avoided her gaze, shame written clearly across their faces.
“Reporting, Shishu, those injured disciples were taken by them. We couldn’t rescue them.”
Yiqin clenched her wooden staff and stepped forward.
Amid the fearful shouts of the Taiming Sect disciples, she fearlessly approached the cultivators of the Hall of the Wild Dragon and shouted angrily, “The sect has its bottom line. If you have issues, come at us Peak Masters. Bullying the disciples means nothing!”
“Yiqin Immortal, don’t be angry now~”
A sarcastic voice came from behind the Hall of the Wild Dragon disciples, who hastily made way.
Out of the gap stepped an old man, gaunt in figure, dressed in a Hall of the Wild Dragon cultivator’s robe with gold trimming.
His face was lecherous, and an iron whip hung at his waist.
He reached out, flirtatiously attempting to touch Yiqin’s face, but Yiqin struck his hand away with her staff.
Her delicate face was as cold as ice. “Iron Prison Elder, please show some respect!”
“The disciples of Lingyin Valley truly are unmatched under heaven,” the old man said with blatant admiration, his gaze scanning Yiqin and the Lingyin Valley disciples behind her. “From the Valley Master down to the disciples, there isn’t a single ordinary one. It’s simply irresistible…”
While he was inspecting the Lingyin Valley disciples, Jiang Ke’er was assessing him in return.
Hidden in the crowd, Jiang Ke’er quietly transformed into a fox when no one was paying attention, scanning all the Hall of the Wild Dragon disciples before reverting to her original form.
The old man was named Iron Prison, the chief elder of the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
The disciples he brought were not weak either, all above the Four Symbols Phase, with several even reaching the Qiyao Realm, making their presence extremely threatening.
“Enough nonsense. Where are the injured disciples of our sect?!” Yiqin suppressed her fury and demanded.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. Let our Medical Division disciples from the Hall of the Wild Dragon make some modifications first, then we’ll return them to you soon,” Iron Prison gritted his teeth and waved his hand.
The disciples on both sides then revealed a wider passage, exposing what was happening behind.
There, more than a dozen cultivators wearing Taiming Sect robes lay on the ground, emitting heart-wrenching screams.
By their sides stood several Medical Division healers of the Hall of the Wild Dragon, clad in red robes.
They held small curved knives, expertly cutting—no, more accurately, dissecting—into the Taiming Sect disciples’ bodies.
The curved blades ended with barbs, and the healers were extracting something from inside the Taiming Sect disciples, cutting them one by one.
Jiang Ke’er recognized what they were severing—the meridians, blood vessels, nerves, and muscles inside the Taiming Sect disciples’ bodies.
Yiqin’s eyes burned with fury, wanting to rush forward and rescue them. But the opposing force was not weaker than the Taiming Sect, and any attempt at rescue would inevitably cause further casualties.
Gradually, those disciples could no longer make a sound. They were conscious but had completely lost sensation throughout their bodies.
“These disciples have no grudge with you. Why destroy their entire lives?” Yiqin bit her teeth, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Iron Prison said smugly. “Yiqin Immortal, as a healer, you should understand these disciples still have a chance to be saved… right?”
“Move aside!” Yiqin’s voice was hoarse. “Or don’t blame the Taiming Sect if we fight to the death with you!”
“No, you won’t,” Iron Prison said with confidence.
“Your sect leader wouldn’t sacrifice more disciples for a few gatekeepers. This matter doesn’t need to be settled now.” He sneered. “Besides, I’m giving you a chance to save them. Whether you can keep your composure, that remains to be seen.”
“Enough! What are your terms? Speak quickly!”
“Simple,” Iron Prison grinned, revealing his true intention at last.
“You can’t intervene personally. You must send disciples to heal these cultivators… You send one, I send one. When they’re healed, we’ll see whose disciples’ medical skills are superior!”
Yiqin’s heart sank. This was bad.
She roughly understood his intent.
The Taiming Sect and Hall of the Wild Dragon had always been at odds—not only did their territories border each other, but they often quarrelled fiercely over land.
They also competed fiercely for the Great Sima Nation’s pill market share.
Their Medical Divisions were evenly matched, never clearly superior.
The Taiming Sect had no desire to prove itself against the other side.
But Iron Prison clearly thought differently.
If he could prove the Hall of the Wild Dragon’s healers were better than those of Lingyin Valley, he could start a propaganda campaign, decisively winning the pill market in the Great Sima Nation—dominating the entire market, bringing endless spiritual stones and demon crystals!
“If it’s a contest, then naturally the most representative healers must compete,” Yiqin said coldly. “Send out your Medical Division Master, and I will compete with him.”
“Unfortunately, our Medical Division Master is in seclusion, researching new pill formulas, and can’t witness this spectacle,” Iron Prison feigned regret and shook his head.
“No choice then—we’ll have to send disciples to compete.”
“That’s meaningless. If you want a contest, pick another day. Don’t play with the lives of my Taiming Sect disciples!”
“Better to strike while the iron’s hot,” Iron Prison sneered.
“If you want to save those little disciples, then obediently follow my orders.” He waved his hand. “You can choose any Medical Division disciple I brought to fight… and in return, I get to choose one of your Lingyin Valley disciples.”
Yiqin grimaced inwardly.
She hurriedly sent a secret message to Jiang Ke’er: 【Qing Yi, hide behind the crowd quickly.】
Jiang Ke’er obediently complied.
She was already at the back of the Lingyin Valley disciples.
Upon receiving the order, she immediately slipped quietly, pretending to blend into the crowd.
Unfortunately, Iron Prison’s eyes missed nothing.
He instantly recognized Jiang Ke’er as the weakest cultivator among the Lingyin Valley disciples.
Moreover, her cultivation was strange—unlike the others, whose bodies radiated vigorous life force, she carried a faint aura of gloom and death.
There was no hesitation. Wearing the Lingyin Valley disciple’s robe, she had to be one of their disciples.
But she clearly had issues, and her evasive, furtive attempts to disappear into the crowd betrayed her insecurity.
What luck! Heaven itself was aiding the Hall of the Wild Dragon!
“You’re it! Stop hiding, I saw you! The little one who’s so short!”
Iron Prison pointed precisely at Jiang Ke’er’s back and waved his hand. An invisible force instantly dragged her from the crowd.
Jiang Ke’er looked utterly innocent.
Yiqin’s face darkened immediately. “Stop! She’s still a child! She’s only been enrolled for a little over a day. She knows nothing!”
“No matter,” Iron Prison suppressed his urge to laugh wildly and waved to summon the elite healers of the Hall of the Wild Dragon.
He grinned and said, “The disciples I brought have only just been enrolled for a little over a day too. Pick any one of them.”
Yiqin trembled with rage.
Just over a day?
All of them radiated cultivation fluctuations at the Qiyao Realm level—do you expect me to believe they just started training?