Chapter 2470 - 2470: The Dragon-breaking Knife Is Missing

Hearing that Ye Qing agreed to this matter, the several sect leaders of the Sword Saint Sect naturally had no objections. In fact, although they repeatedly asked Ye Qing to take the position as sect leader, they truly didn't want to give up the position. After all, Ye Qing wasn't one of the Sword Saint Sect members, and they were reluctant to transfer the Sect's three hundred years of foundation to an outsider.

The matter reached a perfect resolution, and from afar, the Sword Saint Sect disciples also breathed a sigh of relief. Their thoughts were aligned with those of the sect leaders; they all had been worried that Ye Qing would actually agree to become the sect leader of Sword Saint Sect. Now that the issue was resolved in this manner, they felt very happy and their gratitude towards Ye Qing deepened. Regardless of anything else, Ye Qing did not exploit their disadvantage, nor did he take up the position of sect leader, showing he respected the Sword Saint Sect greatly, which naturally made the disciples very happy.

"Since Alliance Leader Ye agrees to this, then we will not decline any further!" The Sword Saint Sect Master looked at Ye Qing, cupped his fist respectfully and said, "From now on, whatever command Alliance Leader Ye has, we Sword Saint Sect, shall follow even into fire or water without hesitation!"

The other three sect leaders of the Sword Saint Sect also said in unison, "Even into fire or water without hesitation!"

Seeing the expressions of the Sword Saint Sect members, Ye Qing felt quite moved. Although previously meeting the Junior Sect Leader of the Sword Saint Sect who was extremely arrogant, one must admit, the members of the Sword Saint Sect were indeed courageous men. Although they appeared somewhat arrogant, they at least knew gratitude, which was rare and valuable.

Thinking about the matter of the Junior Sect Leader of the Sword Saint Sect, Ye Qing felt a bit uneasy. Although he had attributed the slaying of the Junior Sect Leader to the Wanyan Family, the Junior Sect Leader was indeed killed by him. Previously, they were in a hostile relationship with Sword Saint Sect, so the matter went unspoken. But now, with the current relationship with Sword Saint Sect, Ye Qing felt guilty. Especially considering the Junior Sect Leader was a child, he wondered which sect leader's child it was? If, in the future, they investigated this matter, how would Ye Qing explain it to them?

Thinking it over, Ye Qing steeled his mind. After all, dragging this matter on would continually be a hassle, so it was better to resolve it now than postponing it for a more difficult resolution later.

Deciding to resolve this matter, Ye Qing took a deep breath, looked at the Sword Saint Sect Master standing before him, and said, "By the way, Sect Master, I have an issue regarding the Sword Saint Sect's Junior Sect Leader!"

"Junior Sect Leader?" The sect master was taken aback for a moment, turned his head to glance at the Sword Saint Sect members nearby, and said, "I wonder which Junior Sect Leader Alliance Leader Ye is referring to?"

"Which Junior Sect Leader?" Ye Qing was now the one surprised, as he looked at the Sword Saint Sect in bewilderment, "Does Sword Saint Sect have several Junior Sect Leaders?"

"Haha, there are indeed quite a few." The Sect Master chuckled and said, "Sword Saint Sect selects twenty Junior Sect Leaders from each generation, who are the ones with relatively better talent. After being selected, they undergo special training as potential candidates for the sect leader. Of course, not all twenty Junior Sect Leaders will become sect leaders; only one can be chosen each generation. They don't become the sect leaders but instead, rank sequentially. For this generation, the selected one is the sixth sect master of Sword Saint Sect. In fact, I, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother, were all Junior Sect Leaders once, but due to outstanding abilities, we were chosen."

"Ah?" Ye Qing widened his eyes, not expecting Sword Saint Sect to have so many Junior Sect Leaders. He thought Sword Saint Sect only had one Junior Sect Leader, and if there was just one Junior Sect Leader, the matter of the Junior Sect Leader being killed would truly be hard to resolve.

Ye Qing quickly asked, "Then the Junior Sect Leader who went to Shenchuan City for an affair last time, is… is it anyone's child among you?"

"Child?" The sect master was once again taken aback, shaking his head and saying, "None of us have children!"

"No children?" Ye Qing was astonished again, looking in wonder at the sect leaders of Sword Saint Sect. None of them had children? What was the matter?

Mentioning this, the sect master sighed slightly and explained, "The ancestor left a decree that anyone selected as a potential sect leader of the Sword Saint Sect should not have offspring. The ancestor's intent was to prevent the sect leadership from becoming hereditary and being controlled by a single family. At the same time, the ancestor didn't want us to have too many attachments!"

Ah, that's how it is!

Ye Qing realized this and recalled the words Knife Saint told him earlier. Knife Saint hadn't attended the meeting because he had lingering attachments he couldn't let go of, so he didn't turn up. By forbidding sect leaders from having offspring, Knife Saint was aiming to prevent them from having attachments. Clearly, Knife Saint knew how attachments can limit a person, so he didn't want his disciples to have the same concerns. Moreover, Knife Saint had indeed planned wisely, as this method also prevents the sect leadership from becoming hereditary, ensuring balance among Sword Saint Sect's powers and preventing any single family from dominating the sect. It was indeed well thought out.

"So, the previous Junior Sect Leader wasn't any of your children, then?" Ye Qing exclaimed.

"What? Did he claim outside that he was our child?" The sect master frowned deeply, looking at other sect leaders.

The Second Sect Leader immediately punched a nearby stone, and in a deep voice said, "I had always said this person was too arrogant to be a suitable candidate for Junior Sect Leader. To think after going out, he acted so conceited, no wonder he died outside, he deserved it!"

The words of the Second Sect Leader put Ye Qing at ease. It seemed the Sword Saint Sect members also harbored some dissatisfaction towards this Junior Sect Leader. Hence, it seemed the matter of him killing that Junior Sect Leader might not lead to major issues.

With this realization, Ye Qing no longer concealed the incident and explained it from beginning to end.

Having listened to Ye Qing's explanation, the sect leaders of the Sword Saint Sect fell into silence. It was clear from their expressions that they were angry, and this anger wasn't directed at Ye Qing but at the Junior Sect Leader, which made Ye Qing feel even more reassured.

"The ancestor has repeatedly advised that Sword Saint Sect members should cultivate their abilities quietly and not have too much contact with the outside world, nor engage in excessive disputes!" The sect master took a deep breath and said gravely, "I didn't expect that someone from Sword Saint Sect could act in such a way outside. Alliance Leader Ye, I apologize on behalf of Sword Saint Sect!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing felt quite pleased but still politely said, "I should be the one to apologize, after all, I planned and killed the Sword Saint Sect's Junior Sect Leader…"

Before Ye Qing could finish, the sect master directly interrupted, "Alliance Leader Ye has helped us clean our sect's house; we're only grateful to you. This issue, Alliance Leader Ye, should not be a concern for you any longer."

With this matter finally resolved, Ye Qing felt relieved. Once everyone rested sufficiently, they started to pack up and prepare to leave. At this moment, Fat Wang suddenly remembered something and pointed at Ye Qing, saying, "Hey, Young Ye, didn't you forget something?"

"What thing?" Ye Qing asked in surprise, everyone else looked at Ye Qing, pondering what was left behind.

The sect master of Sword Saint Sect stared at Ye Qing for a moment before realizing, exclaiming, "Where's the Dragon-breaking Knife?"

"Yeah!" The Second Sect Leader quickly panicked, urging, "The Dragon-breaking Knife… wasn't brought out?"

Other Sword Saint Sect members also turned anxiously around, truly, in their excitement after coming out, they forgot about the Dragon-breaking Knife. Indeed, the Dragon-breaking Knife hadn't been brought out!

Upon hearing the three words Dragon-breaking Knife, Ye Qing's heart skipped a beat, for he knew well that the Dragon-breaking Knife wasn't only not brought out, but it was placed in the underground river channel. Back when Ye Qing went down to move the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal, due to urgent circumstances, he hurriedly placed the Dragon-breaking Knife inside the river channel and hugged the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal out instead.

Later, Ye Qing used the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal to block the channel's exit before leading the Sword Saint Sect members out. Everyone was rather panicked at the time, so they didn't think of the Dragon-breaking Knife. During the time they were outside, nobody considered it anymore. If not for Fat Wang's shout, everyone would have nearly forgotten about this matter.

Seeing the Dragon-breaking Knife wasn't brought out, all Sword Saint Sect members were dumbfounded. It's important to know, this Dragon-breaking Knife is a very critical item, as it is left by Knife Saint. Sword Saint Sect would stake their lives to ensure this object isn't lost!

"Everyone, don't worry, don't fret." Ye Qing quickly reassured, "I know where the Dragon-breaking Knife is; please wait here for a moment, I'll go down and bring it out!"

Saying this, Ye Qing walked straight to the pond's edge, intending to go into the water, but was stopped by the Sword Saint Sect Master.

"Alliance Leader Ye, please wait here, I will go down to retrieve it!" the Sword Saint Sect Master said.

"Forget it." Ye Qing shook his head and said, "You don't know where I placed the Dragon-breaking Knife, and even if you manage to find it, you won't be able to bring it out."

The Sword Saint Sect Master thought for a moment and realized, even if the Dragon-breaking Knife was right in front of him, he couldn't lift it.

"Well… how about I accompany you inside?" the Sword Saint Sect Master asked again.

"No need, I'm familiar with the underground river channel, and entering it is not dangerous." Ye Qing shook his head, saying, "Please wait here for a moment, I'll be back shortly. Meanwhile, you can also help the wounded circulate their meridians for easier movement when we leave."

As the Sword Saint Sect Master was about to speak, Ye Qing had already jumped into the water. The sect master stood by the water edge, uncertain whether to jump in and assist Ye Qing. As he hesitated, Ye Qing had already vanished underwater.