Chapter 101: Going Too Far

"No, absolutely not!" Zhang Cunzhong immediately exclaimed. "The aura emanating from these people is wrong; I have never felt such an aura before!"

Chen Shangyi nodded in agreement, adding, "Those in black robes are definitely not from the Corpse Refining Sect. Their aura is completely different from ours."

"They have disguised themselves well and could certainly fool others, but they cannot deceive us, the disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect!"

"What is going on? What is happening?"

Wang Changsheng felt as if his head were about to explode.

The critical issue was that they were still aboard the cloud ship of the Shangyang Li family. For someone to attack the ship at this moment—and to be dressed as members of the Corpse Refining Sect—was a situation Wang Changsheng could not even begin to explain.

"In any case, what is certain is that these people are not from our sect!" Chen Shangyi said in a deep voice. "Yet they are masquerading as our disciples."

Thump, thump, thump...

"They are here," Wang Changsheng said grimly.

With all the Corpse Refining Sect disciples gathered here and the attackers outside yet to breach the ship's defenses, the only ones who could be coming for them now were the owners of the cloud ship: the members of the Shangyang Li family.

"Fellow Daoist Li!"

Wang Changsheng opened the cabin door to find the young woman from the Li family standing outside, followed by a middle-aged man draped in dark red robes.

"Deacon Wang, I thought you might have tried to escape in the chaos," the young woman said, sneering as she looked at him. "It seems I was not wrong after all. Your Corpse Refining Sect indeed harbors malicious intentions toward my Li family."

"Fellow Daoist Li, if I told you this was all a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" Wang Changsheng asked, spreading his hands in helplessness.

"A misunderstanding?" the young woman retorted coldly. "Deacon Wang must surely know what is happening, right?"

Wang Changsheng gestured toward the outside and nodded, indicating he understood.

"Then do you honestly think I would believe this is a misunderstanding?" Her expression grew colder. Without waiting for a reply, she commanded the man behind her, "Uncle Xu, take them all into custody!"

As she spoke, the middle-aged man behind her unleashed a surge of pressure that instantly made it difficult for Wang Changsheng to breathe.

"A peak Golden Core realm expert!" Chen Shangyi exclaimed.

Chen Shangyi was no weakling; as a third-level Golden Core cultivator, he rarely met his match among his peers and could even hold his own against those at the fifth or sixth level using the sect's techniques. But facing a peak Golden Core expert?

Chen Shangyi knew he could only flee.

Yet, they were trapped on the Li family's cloud ship; there was nowhere to go.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is truly... truly a misunderstanding," Wang Changsheng said, his voice strained under the immense pressure of the expert.

"Even if we did... have malicious intent," Wang Changsheng said, his expression darkening, "wouldn't we at least wait until we were safe? Since we are on your cloud ship, aren't we effectively your hostages?"

Wang Changsheng wondered if the young woman was not very bright; how could she fail to see such an obvious fact? Was the intellect of the Shangyang Li family so lacking?

"Uncle Xu!"

At the young woman's soft call, Uncle Xu retracted his oppressive aura.

"The aura of the people outside is identical to yours, their attire is the same, and even their artifacts are the specialized coffins of your sect. And you call this a misunderstanding?" the young woman demanded.

"It is different!"

"It is absolutely different!" Chen Shangyi interjected immediately. "While they are disguised very well, as members of the Corpse Refining Sect, we can distinguish the truth. Those people are definitely not our fellow sect members!"

"Oh?" the young woman asked, looking suspicious. "Very well, then come out with me."

She led Wang Changsheng and his group onto the deck.

Outside the ship, the cultivators attacking were exactly twelve in number, all wrapped in black robes, their faces obscured. However, their cultivation levels were far higher than those of Wang Changsheng’s group.

Uncle Xu remarked in a low voice, "Among them, the strongest is at the eighth level of the Golden Core realm, and the weakest is at the third level. Aside from your Corpse Refining Sect, I cannot think of any other power in the Shen Tian Realm that possesses such strength."

Wang Changsheng and Chen Shangyi exchanged grave looks.

"You scum outside! Who are you? Why are you impersonating disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect?" Zhang Cunzhong shouted, unable to hold back any longer.

He felt utterly humiliated; they were the authentic disciples, yet they were being attacked by impostors and suspected by the Li family.

Regrettably, no one answered him. The attackers continued to strike the ship's defensive barrier with their coffin-shaped artifacts. With every blow, the ship shuddered. At this rate, the barrier would collapse in less than half an incense stick of time.

The young woman, however, was not worried. Even if the barrier broke, it would be difficult for these attackers to threaten them, unless they were hiding even stronger experts.

"Since you claim they are not your sect members, then handle this yourselves!" the young woman said firmly. "I want to see whether the 'authentic' Corpse Refining disciples are more skilled, or if these 'impostors' are stronger."

"You!" Wang Changsheng’s expression turned grim. "Are you not making things impossible for us?"

According to Uncle Xu, the attackers were at the third to eighth level of the Golden Core realm. The strongest among Wang Changsheng’s group, Chen Shangyi, was only at the third level.

In other words, the weakest of the impostors was already as strong as their group's leader. How could they fight? This was nothing short of suicide.

Seeing the threat in the young woman's eyes, Wang Changsheng felt a sense of helplessness. If he were in her position, he realized, he would likely do the same.

"If you refuse, it only proves you are all in league together!" she declared. "And if that is the case, you will die right here!"

She nodded at Uncle Xu, who understood immediately.

With blinding speed, Uncle Xu appeared beside Wang Changsheng before anyone could react, gripping his throat and lifting him into the air.

"Deacon Wang!"

"Deacon Wang!"

The other disciples reacted with shock.

"You!" Chen Shangyi shouted. "This is going too far!"

Wang Changsheng, hoisted by his neck, found it hard to breathe, but the greater threat was the suffocating pressure emanating from Uncle Xu, which made him feel as if he were on the verge of collapse.

"Will you go, or not?" the young woman asked.

Seeing Wang Changsheng's eyes bulging, Chen Shangyi relented. "We will go!"

Uncle Xu released his grip, and Wang Changsheng dropped to the deck, gasping for air as the flush of blood slowly faded from his face.

"Cough, cough..."

After a moment, Wang Changsheng recovered, slumped on the deck, and glared at the young woman with a dark expression.

"You all go," she ordered. "Deacon Wang will remain as a hostage."

She signaled for the barrier to be lowered. The moment it opened, the attacks from outside surged in like a tide. A dozen coffin artifacts, heavy with momentum, threatened to destroy much of the ship if they struck.

"Well? Why aren't you moving?" she pressed.

Chen Shangyi looked at the grim-faced Wang Changsheng, gritted his teeth, and shouted to his fellow disciples, "Let's go!"

Chen Shangyi was the first to act, summoning his coffin to intercept the incoming assault. The others followed suit, knowing that a single moment of hesitation against such formidable opponents would result in their deaths.

Simultaneously, the young woman had Uncle Xu pull the ship back.

Boom, boom, boom...

Over twenty coffins collided in the air, creating a massive explosion. The shockwave rippled out, buffeting the cloud ship despite its retreat.

Wang Changsheng bore the brunt of the impact; he was sent tumbling across the deck until he slammed into the railing, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.

"Shangyang Li family, this is not over!" Wang Changsheng vowed silently, his heart filled with resentment.

Boom!

Explosions continued to rock the sky. Wang Changsheng saw that his fellow disciples were completely outmatched. Aside from Chen Shangyi, who was struggling to hold his ground, the other ten were being pushed back relentlessly. One of them had already had his coffin shattered, exposing the corpse within.

And this was while the leader of the impostors hadn't even joined the fray.

Wang Changsheng knew the situation was dire. Between the powerful impostors and the ruthless Li family, they were trapped.

"You push us too far!" Chen Shangyi roared. He slammed his palm against his own coffin, which flew open to reveal the corpse inside.