Chapter 79: Exchanging the Fire Scale Vine for Her Departure from Thunder Scale Peak
The face of True Master Ling Xiao darkened to its limit as his icy gaze swept toward the corner where Shen Sang Ruo sat.
She had already shifted into a comfortable position, leaning casually against the wall, as if utterly unconcerned with the unfolding confrontation. Her lips curled with a hint of mockery.
“It seems even one as mighty as True Master Ling Xiao is not omnipotent.”
“Only I can unlock it. The Fire Scale Vine is in my hands. Since you seek something from me, you should show the proper respect and sincerity. What meaning is there in hurling insults and using threats?”
Her words had barely fallen when the aura around True Master Ling Xiao surged, an oppressive force spreading like a storm gathering over a mountain.
Arrogant as he was, how could he endure such blatant defiance from his own disciple?
“I would like to see just how unyielding your bones truly are. Throwing eggs against a rock—reckless beyond measure!”
He had indeed miscalculated. Who would have thought that Shen Sang Ruo still possessed such an extraordinary artifact?
But so what? If he could not break the artifact, could he not still deal with her directly?
In his eyes, Shen Sang Ruo was nothing more than an insolent brat in dire need of discipline.
With a flick of his sleeve, he raised his hand—flames roared to life, coiling into the form of a blazing dragon that streaked through the air with destructive force. It was none other than the Mystic Fire True Dragon Art, one of the sect’s most formidable techniques.
“Ling Xiao, don’t!” Shen Dao Chen’s urgent cry rang out. He immediately summoned a wave of spiritual energy to counteract the fire dragon, neutralizing it before it could reach Shen Sang Ruo.
Unlike Ling Xiao, Shen Dao Chen remained clear-headed. He understood that brute force was not the solution here.
Had that strike landed, Shen Sang Ruo would have been gravely wounded if not killed outright. The situation was already precarious—if she was pushed further into a corner, she would never surrender the Fire Scale Vine. And Bai Mu Mu’s life was still hanging by a thread, dependent on their success.
Moreover, regardless of what she had become, Shen Sang Ruo had been his daughter in name for years. Even if she had veered into madness, he could not stand idly by and watch her suffer such a fate.
Shen Sang Ruo, unfazed, observed their quarrel with an air of idle amusement.
“No matter what, she was your disciple for many years. You must not let impulse lead you to a decision you will regret,” Shen Dao Chen urged.
Yet, True Master Ling Xiao’s fury had already erupted beyond restraint. “Why do you stop me? This wretched disciple has repeatedly challenged my authority. Today, I shall cleanse my sect of this disgrace!”
His next words were spat with finality. “If you refuse to hand over the Fire Scale Vine, I shall personally cast you out of my sect!”
Shen Sang Ruo suddenly laughed.
Her laughter echoed through the entire cave dwelling, chilling and unrestrained. Just as Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen began to suspect she had been possessed by some malevolent force, she stopped abruptly.
With a careless, almost airy tone, she answered, “Fine.”
The joy in her eyes was unmistakably genuine.
Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen frowned in unison. Could it be… she had truly been possessed?
She was being expelled from the sect—why did she look so pleased?
A memory surfaced in Ling Xiao’s mind.
Long ago, Shen Sang Ruo had pestered him relentlessly, begging him to teach her the Mystic Fire True Dragon Art. Irritated, he had warned her, “If you keep this up, I will expel you from the sect.”
The moment she heard those words, her face had paled with fright. Tears welled in her eyes, but she dared not let them fall, terrified that one wrong move would make his threat a reality.
For days afterward, she had been a picture of restraint, swallowing her emotions and treading carefully in his presence. In the end, it had taken his patience, gentle coaxing, and repeated reassurances that he had only been jesting before she finally smiled again.
He had once indulged her, spoiled her even. That memory felt like a lifetime ago.
And now, the same girl who once feared being cast out above all else was… delighted?
A deep crease formed between Ling Xiao’s brows. His sharp gaze bore into Shen Sang Ruo, but no matter how he looked, he could no longer recognize the girl who had once followed him so devotedly.
Shen Sang Ruo’s gaze lifted slightly, the corners of her eyes subtly raised. Under the perplexed stare of True Master Ling Xiao, she continued in a voice as steady as the ancient mountains.
“However, I do not wish to be expelled from the sect because of the Fire Scale Vine. Instead, I wish to trade the Fire Scale Vine for my departure.”
Her posture remained upright, her words firm and resolute. It was as if she had already severed all ties with Thunder Scale Peak, as if not even a sliver of attachment remained in her heart.
[Why should I leave in disgrace, branded as an abandoned disciple, when I have done nothing wrong?]
She would stride forth with her head held high, walking out of Thunder Scale Peak not as one cast aside, but as one who had chosen to leave of her own will. It was not they who had abandoned her—it was she who had forsaken them.
Her words sent a ripple through the air, and the expressions of True Master Ling Xiao and Shen Dao Chen turned all the more peculiar. A flicker of displeasure even darkened True Master Ling Xiao’s face. His decision had been made—Shen Sang Ruo was not suited to remain under his tutelage. But to expel her and to have her leave of her own volition were two vastly different matters.
[How dare she?]
Only he could cast her aside. It was not her place to reject him. It was just like the Mystic Fire True Dragon Art—he could deny her its teachings, but she could not refuse it of her own accord.
And now, after so stubbornly refusing to surrender the Fire Scale Vine, she was willing to trade it for her freedom. What did this mean? Did she hold such disdain for him? Had her loathing for him surpassed even her hatred for Bai Mu Mu?
A storm brewed in True Master Ling Xiao’s eyes, his face shadowed with anger.
“Sang Ruo, what nonsense are you speaking? Hurry and apologize to your master. Perhaps then, there may still be room for reconciliation.” Shen Dao Chen’s voice rang out, unable to bear seeing her walk down such a path of folly.
To be accepted as a disciple by True Master Ling Xiao was the greatest fortune one could hope for in the cultivation world. It was he who had arranged for Shen Sang Ruo to become Ling Xiao’s disciple. If their relationship were severed now, would that not be a slap to his own face?
But Shen Sang Ruo turned to Shen Dao Chen, her gaze unwavering. “Oh? Does Martial Uncle not wish to obtain the Fire Scale Vine to save Bai Mu Mu?”
She stepped forward, her voice cutting through the heavy silence like the edge of a honed blade. “I shall speak plainly—if you wish to claim the Fire Scale Vine, then sever my master-disciple bond with True Master Ling Xiao. And publicly, it shall not be declared that I was expelled from Thunder Scale Peak.”
“Otherwise,” her voice grew colder, carrying an unyielding resolve, “I would rather shatter like jade than live like common clay. You hold Bai Mu Mu so dearly, do you not? Then for her sake, release the one you detest. Would that not be a perfect resolution?”
Shen Dao Chen’s heart trembled at the conviction in her eyes. A sense of unease crept into his mind, yet the thought of Bai Mu Mu lying in bed, teetering between life and death, made his hesitation unbearable.
Before he could speak, True Master Ling Xiao had already made his decision.
“This sovereign agrees.”
With a wave of his hand, luminous script emerged before him, the very contract that had bound Shen Sang Ruo as his disciple. It glowed faintly, the mark of their master-disciple relationship etched within.
“To dissolve this bond, this sovereign has the right to reclaim all that was once bestowed upon you.”
Shen Sang Ruo’s expression remained unchanged. From the very beginning, she had never truly accepted what they had given her. Every artifact, every resource, every so-called gift—she had sealed them away in her secluded cave abode, untouched and forgotten.
Seeing her unwavering composure, True Master Ling Xiao let out a cold, mirthless chuckle. “Do you truly believe this sovereign refers only to mere material possessions?”
His gaze sharpened, like a sword about to be unsheathed, and he enunciated each word clearly. “I speak of your cultivation.”
The moment the words fell, golden chains shot forth from the contract, coiling through the air like serpents with a singular purpose—binding Shen Sang Ruo!
Shen Dao Chen’s eyes widened. He knew all too well that this was the binding chain of the master-disciple contract, capable of stripping away the cultivation that a disciple had obtained through their master’s guidance.
But he was already too late.
The chains wrapped around Shen Sang Ruo in an instant.
“Thunder Scale Peak is not a place where one comes and goes as they please,” True Master Ling Xiao’s voice was laced with scorn. “To think you can leave unscathed—you must be dreaming!”
[An ant dares to challenge the heavens? Ridiculous!]
His cold laughter echoed through the hall as the chains tightened their grasp.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Lol her cultivation was already shattered before she started the new one…there is nothing for you to claim