Chapter 120: Confrontation

. The information in Ye Xiu's diary was significant to some. To others, it was just so-so, a mere amusement.

Ye Xiu's diary clearly stated that Jiang Biehe was a hypocrite and possessed the Six-Ren Divine Sieve.

However, the only people who truly paid attention to this news were Yao Yue, Lian Xing, and Jiang Biehe's daughter, Jiang Yuyan.

The rest of the group, upon seeing this information, simply sighed, "Another hypocrite!"

Ye Xiu's diary had already exposed several hypocrites, creating a false impression that the jianghu was full of hypocrites, and that exposing them didn't matter, as long as it didn't involve those close to them.

Upon learning that the Six-Ren Divine Sieve was in Jiang Biehe's possession, Yao Yue went searching for him. Given Yao Yue's domineering personality, Jiang Biehe likely wouldn't survive for many days.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Bubai and Ning Zhongze were rapidly departing from Huayin County, speeding towards Yihua Palace.

Even Huang Rong, accompanied by her father, Huang Yaoshi, headed straight for Yihua Palace.

…

Dongfang Bubai and Ning Zhongze, one in front and one behind, rode two swift horses, galloping towards Yihua Palace, their faces dusty and grimy.

Three days later, Dongfang Bubai and Ning Zhongze finally arrived at the Yihua Palace grounds.

Upon arrival, they showered and washed off the dust.

After all, neither Dongfang Bubai nor Ning Zhongze wanted Ye Xiu to see them looking so unkempt.

"Let's go! To Yihua Palace!" Dongfang Bubai said to Ning Zhongze.

Ning Zhongze nodded, followed Dongfang Bubai, and headed straight for the palace.

"This is the territory of the Yihua Palace in Xiuyu Valley. No trespassing!" The Yihua Palace disciples, upon seeing Dongfang Bubai and Ning Zhongze, shouted at them.

Facing these Yihua Palace disciples, Dongfang Bubai seemed to ignore them and simply charged forward.

Ning Zhongze, following behind Dongfang Bubai, watched his domineering behavior. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know how.

Yet, she felt a tinge of envy for Dongfang Bubai's dominance.

Well, it wasn't envy of his domineering personality, but rather his ability to be so. In other words, it was envy of Dongfang Bubai's strength.

After all, she, Ning Zhongze, didn't have the strength or the courage to storm into Yihua Palace.

"How dare you!" Upon seeing Dongfang Bubai's sudden entrance, the patrolling Yihua Palace disciples immediately drew their swords and charged, piercing Dongfang Bubai's vital points.

These Yihua Palace disciples aimed their attacks directly at Dongfang Bubai's vital points, holding nothing back, intent on killing.

Compared to other so-called prestigious sects, the Yihua Palace disciples' attacks were exceptionally ruthless.

But this was Yihua Palace; they had the right to be so ruthless.

But to Dongfang Bubai, these Yihua Palace disciples were nothing.

Dongfang Bubai didn't even pause or slow down in the face of their attack, simply passing through them.

As Dongfang Bubai passed, they fell to the ground one after another.

However, Dongfang Bubai didn't kill them, instead he simply pointed them out.

After all, this was Yihua Palace. If he had just killed them, there would have been a fierce battle between Yihua Palace and the Sun Moon Sect, and who would have suffered the most in the end?

Meanwhile, Dongfang Bubai's pursuit of Ye Xiu, to seize him, was a personal matter, not one involving any conflict or hatred between the two factions.

While Dongfang Bubai's incursion into Yihua Palace was a provocation in itself, there was still a huge difference between killing and not killing.

Dongfang Bubai continued to advance, no matter how many blocked her path.

Ning Zhongze, following behind Dongfang Bubai, grew increasingly envious of Dongfang Bubai's strength.

With such immense power behind her, Dongfang Bubai entered Yihua Palace with ease.

"Miss, I wonder who you are and why you have intruded into my Yihua Palace. But no matter what the reason is, I still hope you can stop your actions. I can also ask my eldest aunt and second aunt-"

A beautiful young man dressed in white, whiter than snow, appeared in front of Dongfang Bubai.

This beautiful young man was extremely handsome and exuded a noble air, but he did not have the slightest bit of arrogance. Instead, he made people feel that he was gentle and even seemed to be a little humble.

The adjective "elegant and noble young man" was very suitable for this young man.

However, in Dongfang Bubai's eyes, this beautiful young man was no different from the previous disciples of Yihua Palace. He had no intention of paying any attention to the other party and attacked him directly.

Hua Wuque did not expect this woman to be so domineering. Hua Wuque even faintly sensed a trace of aura similar to that of his eldest aunt Yaoyue from the other party.

His aunt, Yao Yue, had always been a shadow in Hua Wuque's heart. So, while Hua Wuque didn't flinch when facing Dongfang Bubai, he felt a tinge of fear.

However, seeing Dongfang Bubai approaching him as before, Hua Wuque took a deep breath, channeling his Hunyuan Qi. He immediately unleashed the Yihua Palace's signature palm technique, Yihua Jieyu (Transferring Flowers and Jade).

Yihua Jieyu is a form of leveraging force, similar in nature to Wudang Tai Chi, the Ming Cult's Qiankun Da Neng Yi (Great Shift of the Universe), and the Murong Clan's Dou Zhuan Xing Yi (Fighting Stars and Shifting). Its key principles, however, enabled it to achieve incredible speed. By determining the direction of an opponent's force, one could easily deflect their attack, seizing the opportunity and deflecting their energy before it could fully unleash it.

It could be said that Tai Chi is about slow, quick, and a small force can deflect a large force. Yihua Jieyu, on the other hand, is about fast, manipulating the opponent's attack at will, and its profoundness is not necessarily inferior to that of Tai Chi.

Hua Wuque's first move was a swift and powerful one, moving directly towards Dongfang Bubai. However, Hua Wuque was truly a gentleman.

Instead of attacking Dongfang Bubai's vital points, he attempted to subdue him.

Hua Wuque's intentions were good, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength.

While Hua Wuque's attack was swift, Dongfang Bubai was even faster.

Hua Wuque's palm was barely halfway out when Dongfang Bubai's fingers landed on him.

Then, like the other disciples before him, he collapsed to the ground with a limp.

Meanwhile, Lianxing, having received the news, emerged from her retreat.

Seeing the fallen Hua Wuque, a flicker of anxiety and anger flashed in her eyes.

Without a word, Lianxing tapped the ground and charged towards Dongfang Bubai, striking him with her jade-like right hand.

Seeing Lianxing, Dongfang Bubai finally began to look him in the eye.

Dongfang Bubai was not afraid of Lianxing's attack.

Lian Xing cultivated the Mingyu Gong to the eighth level, but due to her hand and foot problems and her fear of Yao Yue, she was unable to advance to the next level.

Even so, Lian Xing had already reached the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm, albeit at the very beginning.

Besides the Mingyu Gong, her palm technique, Yihua Jieyu (Transferring Flowers and Jade), was also a top-notch technique. Even with her deformed left hand and foot, Lian Xing remained incredibly powerful.

An average ninth-level Grandmaster wouldn't necessarily be a match for Lian Xing.

However, Lian Xing faced Dongfang Bubai.

Although Dongfang Bubai's breakthrough to the ninth level was due to the diary, she still displayed immense destructive power thanks to the Sunflower Manual.

Dongfang Bubai moved with such swiftness that he practically left an afterimage. He

continuously attacked Lian Xing.

However, Lian Xing's cultivation level was still a little lacking, and coupled with the problems with her hands and feet,

she could only barely fend off Dongfang Bubai's attacks.

But soon, Lianxing was struck on the shoulder by Dongfang Bubai, sending her flying.

Lianxing flew backward, but just before landing, she managed to adjust her balance and land on her feet. She couldn't help but take a few steps back, clutching her left shoulder with her right hand, a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Truth be told, Lianxing was quite beautiful, but having long lived under Yaoyue's shadow, she inevitably lacked a certain degree of confidence, and her demeanor wasn't particularly striking.

Of course, this was only compared to Yaoyue and Dongfang Bubai.

In terms of appearance alone, Lianxing was no less impressive than either of them.

And now, with a trace of blood at the corner of Lianxing's mouth, she looked faintly frail, yet possessed a unique presence.

"Are you Dongfang Bubai?" Lianxing recognized her from her martial arts skills.

Of course, another factor was the numerous mentions of Dongfang Bubai in Ye Xiu's diary, which made Lianxing recognize her instantly.

"Palace Master Lianxing—you should know why I'm here." Dongfang Bubai looked Lianxing in the eye. "I want to take Ye Xiu away. Where is he now?"

Lianxing felt a pang of frustration when Dongfang Bubai mentioned Ye Xiu's name. She knew Dongfang Bubai was looking for Ye Xiu.

However, Ye Xiu was brought back by her sister, Yaoyue, and she didn't dare let Dongfang Bubai take him away without permission.

Moreover, Lianxing herself was filled with curiosity about Ye Xiu.

In fact, if it weren't for Yaoyue's bringing Ye Xiu back, and Lianxing's need to cultivate the Divine Illumination Sutra, she wouldn't have gone to meet Ye Xiu.

Lianxing preferred to cultivate the Divine Illumination Sutra, repair her deformed limbs, and then meet Ye Xiu in perfect form.

"How dare you barge into my Yihua Palace to demand someone?" A voice, every bit as domineering as Dongfang Bubai's, called from behind.

Yaoyue had gone to Jiang Biehe's house, found the Liuren Divine Sieve, and killed Jiang Biehe and his wife with a single blow before finally returning to Yihua Palace.

Yao Yue hadn't expected to find someone so audaciously intruding upon her return to Yihua Palace.

Upon seeing the intruder, she overheard Dongfang Bubai say he was going to send Ye Xiu away, which infuriated her.

"Yao Yue!" Dongfang Bubai narrowed his eyes at Yao Yue.

"Who are you?" "I'm

Dongfang Bubai!" "Dongfang

Bubai? Okay, I'd like to see what you have the nerve to dare intrude upon my Yihua Palace!"

After a few words, Yao Yue and Dongfang Bubai began to clash.

Dongfang Bubai's Sunflower Manual focused on speed, a swiftness so intense that the human eye couldn't follow it.

Yao Yue, meanwhile, was equally swift, easily matching Dongfang Bubai's attacks.

Bang, bang, bang—

the two clashed endlessly, their hands and feet colliding, seemingly evenly matched.

But in reality, Dongfang Bubai was actually at a disadvantage.

Ultimately, even with the help of the diary, Dongfang Bubai had reached the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm. Yao Yue, however, was already halfway to Grandmaster status, only unable to break through due to Jiang Feng. Otherwise, Yao Yue would have already reached Grandmaster status.

As the two clashed, Dongfang Bubai began to lose ground after just a few rounds, and as the fight wore on, Dongfang Bubai's weakness became increasingly apparent.

Bang—

Yao Yue landed a palm strike on Dongfang Bubai's left shoulder, almost identical to where she had struck Lian Xing's.

Dongfang Bubai knew by then that she was no match for Yao Yue.

Using the force of Yao Yue's palm, Dongfang Bubai swiftly charged outward, taking Ning Zhongze with her. After all ,

Ning Zhongze was Ye Xiu's master's wife.

While Yao Yue probably wouldn't attack her, out of respect for Ye Xiu,

Dongfang Bubai had to consider the one in a million chance

that Ning Zhongze might be in trouble. And Ning Zhongze had been brought along by her. If Ye Xiu found out, he might blame her.

To prevent Ye Xiu's favorability towards him from declining, Dongfang Bubai had to protect Ning Zhongze.

Fortunately, the Sunflower Manual that Dongfang Bubai practiced focused on speed.

Letting go of everything, and operating the Sunflower Qi to its limit, Dongfang Bubai's speed surpassed all previous speeds. Even with someone else, Yaoyue felt that Dongfang Bubai was too fast and she might not be able to catch up.

"Hmph! Dongfang Bubai!" Yaoyue snorted coldly, watching Dongfang Bubai quickly rush out of Yihua Palace with Ning Zhongze.

"Sister!" Lianxing, clutching her left shoulder, lowered her head, took two steps forward, and came behind Yaoyue.

"Hmph!" Yaoyue glanced at Lianxing and snorted again.

Lianxing stood there obediently, hardly daring to breathe.

When Yaoyue saw that the disciples of Yihua Palace, especially Hua Wuque, had not been killed but had their acupoints sealed, her mood improved slightly.

Seeing Hua Wuque so easily subdued, Yaoyue couldn't help but feel angry. Even Dongfang Bubai, despite her own efforts, hadn't been able to stop him.

"Go to Jiangnan and find someone named Jiang Yuyan. Then bring her to Yihua Palace!" Yaoyue issued the order.

Yaoyue had previously visited Jiang Biehe's residence, but she hadn't seen Jiang Yuyan. Instead, she had seen a woman named Jiang Yufeng. This Jiang Yufeng, surprisingly, was a good person in a place like the Jiang Mansion.

So, Yaoyue didn't kill Jiang Yufeng completely.

While that might seem like a case of "cutting the grass, only to have it come back again in spring breeze," Yaoyue didn't take Jiang Yufeng, a woman of modest strength, seriously.

As for Jiang Yuyan, it would require considerable manpower, material resources, and even time to find her.

Once found, she would naturally be brought to Yihua Palace.

...

Elsewhere, Dongfang Bubai, having escaped from Yihua Palace with Ning Zhongze, now wore a gloomy expression.

Dongfang hadn't expected Yaoyue's strength to surpass his own. After their clash, Dongfang Bubai discovered she had been defeated by Yaoyue.

Dongfang Bubai couldn't help but glance at the black diary in her hand.

While she wasn't Yaoyue's match right now, once the diary's next monthly summary reward arrived, she would surpass her in strength.

So, while Dongfang Bubai was furious at this defeat, it also gave her a fighting spirit. She even looked forward to seeing Yaoyue's expression tomorrow when she discovered her far superior strength.

"Miss Dongfang, are you alright?" Ning Zhongze looked at Dongfang Bubai with concern.

Although Dongfang Bubai was the leader of the Demonic Cult, she was from the Huashan Sect and should have been an enemy.

However, after these days of interaction, Ning Zhongze discovered that while Dongfang Bubai was a bit domineering, he wasn't as formidable as the rumors had suggested.

Furthermore, both of them were working to rescue Ye Xiu, so they were naturally on the same side.

Not to mention that Dongfang Bubai hadn't forgotten to take her with him when he escaped from Yihua Palace.

"It's okay!" Dongfang Bubai replied coldly.

Silence followed—

and then Dongfang Bubai suddenly thought: "What's Ye Xiu's favorability rating for you?"

"Huh?" Ning Zhongze was taken aback.

Dongfang Bubai simply stared at Ning Zhongze.

"79." Ning Zhongze confessed, not deliberately hiding the number.

"79?" Dongfang Bubai raised an eyebrow. It wasn't as high as her current rating. Ye Xiu's current favorability rating for her was 89, exactly ten points higher than Ning Zhongze's.

The thought that he'd slept with Ye Xiu, yet only surpassed Ning Zhongze's by ten points, made Dongfang Bubai a little unhappy.

However, their relationship had already reached this point, yet it hadn't yet reached 90 points. Dongfang Bubai couldn't help but feel puzzled. It was stuck at 89. So how could it reach 90, or even 100?

Ning Zhongze wanted to ask Dongfang Bubai how much Ye Xiu liked her. But he felt it was a little inappropriate.

The main reason was Dongfang Bubai's identity.

And it also concerned his own Huashan Sect disciple.

However, the 79 points of favorability made Ning Zhongze feel a little awkward.

79 points can only get double the extra reward. And one more point, to 80, can get five times the reward.

It's stuck here, just this little bit short of doubling the monthly reward. This feeling is really uncomfortable.