Chapter 140 Convinced Beyond a Doubt

Right now, Elder Hong’s body was extremely weak, yet she possessed a remarkable fortitude, gritting her teeth and holding on.

Taking the cloud disk from Lin Hao’s hand, a flash of determination crossed her eyes. Then, with a resounding slap, she channeled her remaining meager spiritual energy to strike her own chest, forcing out a single droplet of heart’s blood that landed on the cloud disk.

Following that, just as Zheng Xi had done moments before, she hurled the disk into the air while chanting incantations under her breath.

The cloud disk began to expand rapidly, recreating the exact scene that had just occurred with Zheng Xi.

While Lin Hao stood his ground, everyone else in the vicinity panicked.

Terrified by the sight, the onlookers stared at the cloud disk, dreading the same fate that had befallen the members of the Qingfeng Sect.

Only Lin Hao remained calm. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of whatever tricks Elder Hong was pulling or that he might be sucked in as well.

Rather, Lin Hao possessed an inner confidence. Looking at the cloud disk, his intuition told him that it simply could not harm him.

Thus, he stood there with an air of nonchalance, fixing his gaze on the revolving disk above.

The cloud disk grew larger and spun faster until, with a sudden rush of howling wind, a figure dropped from it.

Lin Hao’s eyes brightened. With a stomp of his foot, he immediately leaped forward and caught the falling person.

It was none other than Qing Yun.

After catching him, Lin Hao gently laid Qing Yun down on the ground.

Soon after, one person after another dropped down in succession.

They were all members of the Qingfeng Sect who had been sucked inside.

About half an hour later, everyone had finally been expelled from the disk.

Elder Hong coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Completely losing control of the cloud disk, it gradually shrank, lost its luster, and plummeted to the ground.

Seeing this, the members of the Red Lotus Sect hurried forward to support Elder Hong.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao paid no attention to Elder Hong, keeping his eyes fixed on the surviving members of the Qingfeng Sect.

Joy filled Lin Hao’s face as he first rushed to Qing Yun, but he found that Qing Yun had already lost consciousness.

After settling the other members of the Qingfeng Sect, Lin Hao walked back to Qing Yun’s side and gently shook him. "Senior Brother, wake up."

As he spoke, Lin Hao hurriedly used his spiritual energy to check the injured man's pulse.

A moment later, a look of profound shock washed over Lin Hao. Qing Yun’s meridians were entirely shattered, and his spiritual energy was completely depleted.

Coupled with the poison coursing through his veins, he was now at death's door.

Never expecting Qing Yun’s condition to be so severe, Lin Hao gasped and immediately produced a detoxification pill, feeding it to Qing Yun to suppress the poison within his body.

Next, he fed him several pills meant to gather spiritual energy, followed by a direct infusion of his own spiritual energy.

"Mmh!" With a soft moan, Qing Yun finally opened his eyes.

Gazing weakly at Lin Hao, he looked startled at first, and then joked wryly, "Have I already ascended to heaven?"

Hearing Qing Yun say this, sorrow washed over Lin Hao’s face. Looking down at him, he asked, "Senior Brother Qing Yun, how are you feeling?"

As he spoke, Lin Hao carefully helped Qing Yun up.

This movement triggered a fit of heavy coughing, causing Qing Yun to spit out a mouthful of black blood.

"Cough, cough!"

"Senior Brother!" Lin Hao cried out in alarm, quickly moving to help him lie back down.

However, Qing Yun waved a hand dismissively. After catching his breath, he looked at Lin Hao and said, "It’s alright. To be able to see you again in this lifetime, my cousin, is truly wonderful. I can rest easy leaving the Qingfeng Sect in your hands from now on."

Hearing these words, which sounded chillingly like a dying declaration, filled Lin Hao with grief. He immediately protested, "Cousin, don't say that! I can—I can definitely heal you! I can restore your cultivation to what it used to be, and together we will build a glorious future for the Qingfeng Sect!"

"Enough, Cousin Lin Hao. You don't need to comfort me anymore. Although my cultivation is no longer a match for yours, I know my own body. Furthermore, I do not regret what I did.

My only regret is that I won't get to witness the prosperity of the Qingfeng Sect. From now on, you will have to see it all in my place." Qing Yun spoke with an initial lightness, but a fleeting flash of deep regret and sigh accompanied his words.

Lin Hao felt an indescribable ache in his heart, a mixture of utter helplessness and guilt.

Just as Qing Yun had said, even though he had now reached the Divine Transformation Realm, he still lacked the ability to save Qing Yun.

In an instant, a profound sense of responsibility welled up inside Lin Hao—a duty to the Qingfeng Sect, and a duty to Qing Yun.

Reluctant to hear any more of Qing Yun’s farewell-like words, Lin Hao’s eyes turned slightly red, and he raised his head to survey his surroundings.

Seeing that the members of the Qingfeng Sect were either dead or severely wounded, a wave of sorrow and bitter hatred surged within him.

Then, a fierce resolve settled deep in Lin Hao’s eyes. Looking back down at Qing Yun, he promised with absolute certainty, "Alright, Cousin Qing Yun, I promise you! I will make the Qingfeng Sect shine brighter than ever!"

Having received Lin Hao’s vow, the corners of Qing Yun’s lips curled into a faint smile. A look of complete release flashed through his eyes.

With his remaining strength, he reached into his storage pouch, retrieved the Qingfeng Sect Leader’s token, and placed it into Lin Hao’s hand. "From this day forward, this token belongs to you. I believe that under your leadership, the Qingfeng Sect will flourish even more!"

As he finished speaking, his hand went limp, and Qing Yun drew his last breath.

"Senior Brother!" Lin Hao cried out in anguish.

Yet no matter how desperately Lin Hao called out, Qing Yun had already passed on, lying there with a calm and serene expression.

After a long moment, Lin Hao finally pulled himself together, transforming his grief into strength.

He gently laid Qing Yun down and turned his attention to the other disciples of the Qingfeng Sect. Those who had suffered only minor injuries and had not been poisoned were doing relatively better.

Discovering that while their spiritual energy had been entirely drained, their meridians remained intact, Lin Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Glancing at the cloud disk, Lin Hao surmised that it must have been the disk that absorbed their spiritual power.

Fortunately, at least their lives were spared.

However, because the sect leader, elders, and others had suffered grievous wounds and succumbed to the poison, they met the same fate as Qing Yun.

Even more tragically, they had died without ever regaining consciousness.

Unable to accept this cruel outcome, Lin Hao’s expression grew even more resolute.

Once he finished tending to the survivors, Lin Hao stood up, locked his gaze on Elder Hong of the Red Lotus Sect, and strode toward her.

Seeing Lin Hao approach with a menacing aura, the surrounding people instinctively took a step back, casting fearful glances at him.

Only Elder Hong remained standing in place with a calm, faint smile, as if she had anticipated this all along.

Witnessing this, a nagging suspicion took root in Lin Hao’s mind: had Elder Hong manipulated events behind the scenes all along?

With a probing and questioning glare, he walked toward her step by step.

Elder Hong remained entirely unperturbed. Seeing Lin Hao’s hostile approach and suspicious gaze, her expression did not change in the slightest.

It was only when Lin Hao stopped right in front of her that she spoke. "You suspect me, don't you?"

Before Lin Hao could even voice the question, Elder Hong had already laid it bare. For some reason, Lin Hao felt a strange ripple of unease and froze for a fraction of a second.

Then, Elder Hong continued, "I did promise you that they would be released, but I never promised that every single one of them would come out alive.

Furthermore, the cloud disk sustains its operation precisely by absorbing their spiritual energy until every last drop is drained dry. Long before they were released, the disk had already devoured their power.

Added to the fact that your Qingfeng Sect Leader and elders were already severely wounded to begin with, it was only natural that they could not withstand the absorption of the cloud disk. Therefore, you cannot use this matter to tear up our agreement."

Hearing her explanation, Lin Hao furrowed his brows, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. By her logic, the fault lay entirely with him for failing to inquire thoroughly beforehand.

"And why didn't you mention this to me beforehand?" Lin Hao was no fool. Even if what she claimed was the truth, the timing of her revelation was utterly despicable.

"I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to make the trade," Elder Hong replied bluntly, without the slightest attempt to hide her intentions.

"Hmph!"

Her blatant candor left Lin Hao momentarily speechless, unsure of how to press his interrogation further.

Thus, furious as he was, seeing that her demeanor was devoid of falsehood, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Hao glared at the Red Lotus Sect elder and said, "Fine. I will honor my promise. Your people from the Red Lotus Sect may leave now."

Then, he raised his voice and shouted, "Disciples of the Qingfeng Sect, where are you?!"

The twenty-some surviving disciples immediately stepped forward.

In unison, they shouted, "We are here!"

"From this moment on, the gates of the Qingfeng Sect are sealed tight! Only the members of the Red Lotus Sect are permitted to leave. Anyone else who tries to step outside is to be executed on the spot!" Lin Hao commanded.

Hearing his orders, the members of the Qingfeng Sect shouted back in unison, "Understood! We obey!"

With that, their righteous and resolute figures marched past the perimeter and headed toward the main gates, strictly executing Lin Hao's decree.

Meanwhile, members of the remaining two sects darted their eyes about craftily, various ambitious thoughts stirring in the minds of the opportunistic ones.

However, after casting a stealthy glance at Lin Hao, the more timid ones hastily banished those thoughts from their minds.

Observing this with a cold sneer, Lin Hao stood quietly in place.

His Qingfeng Sect disciples marched toward the gates, followed closely by the retreating members of the Red Lotus Sect.

Lin Hao watched them every step of the way.

Not a single soul from the other factions dared to step forward or obstruct their path until every last figure had vanished from sight.

Only then did Lin Hao turn his attention back to the two remaining sects.

Without uttering a single word, Lin Hao simply released his formidable aura, crushing them under an immense psychological pressure of tension and terror.

He stood in complete silence for half an hour.

Sometimes, the consequences themselves aren't the most terrifying part; the suffocating calm before the storm is far more agonizing.

At last, a disciple hurried over to report, " Sect Leader! The Red Lotus Sect members have completely retreated. As for the other sects, we caught two individuals trying to sneak away. Please decide their fate, Sect Leader."

Indeed, they had all overheard Qing Yun’s dying entrustment and witnessed the Sect Leader’s token being handed to Lin Hao.

In their eyes, Lin Hao was now the undisputed master of the Qingfeng Sect.

Especially after he had turned the tide and saved the remnants of the sect, their respect and submission toward him were absolute.