At that moment, the mood on Profound Sword Island was extremely tense. Bi Xuan and the other maidservants had gathered in the main courtyard, and every face was pale. Bi Xuan looked especially worn out.
One young maidservant anxiously clutched her sleeve. "Sister Bi Xuan, what are we going to do? Yun Canglan has already filed a formal request to have you transferred to his residence."
Another maidservant clenched her fists angrily. "That bastard! When Master was still here, he could never beat him. Now that everyone thinks Master is dead, he immediately starts going after the people around him. What kind of man does that?"
"Keep your voice down," another woman warned her quickly. "If Yun Canglan hears you insulting him, he could deal with you with a single word."
The first maidservant refused to back down. "Let him hear! He’s already trying to force Sister Bi Xuan to be his maidservant. She turned him down twice, and he actually went straight to the sect and asked for a forced transfer. He deserves far worse than a few insults."
"That’s enough," Bi Xuan finally said, cutting them off with a forced little smile.
For the first half month after news of Li Yun’s death spread, things had stayed fairly peaceful. Then Yun Canglan showed up. For reasons that were obvious enough, he demanded that Bi Xuan leave Profound Sword Island and enter his service. She refused, and he came again, and she refused a second time. Instead of dropping the matter, Yun Canglan used his status as an Inner Sect disciple to submit an official application.
Bi Xuan was only at the 1st level of Spirit Manifestation Realm. To someone of Yun Canglan’s standing, asking for the reassignment of a maidservant at that level was hardly something the sect would treat as important. Unless something changed, the request would most likely be approved within a month.
Bi Xuan did have one other option. She could leave the Profound Origin Immortal Sect altogether. That would hardly solve the problem, though. Without the sect’s protection, she would become a drifting cultivator with no powerful backing, and if Yun Canglan really wanted to target her then, things could get even worse.
Bi Xuan smiled bitterly. Perhaps she simply had no choice.
Then a calm voice spoke behind them.
"Yun Canglan wants to force you to become his maidservant?"
Every woman froze, and Bi Xuan’s whole body trembled, because she knew that voice. They all turned at once to see a figure in white robes descending into the courtyard, his eyes bright and calm.
"Master?" Bi Xuan stared at him. "You... you’re alive?"
"Heavens!"
The other maidservants could hardly believe their eyes. News of Li Yun’s death had already spread throughout the Profound Origin Immortal Sect, and even many senior elders seemed to have accepted it. Yet after more than a month, Li Yun had simply walked back onto Profound Sword Island, alive.
Relief and joy quickly replaced their fear. If Li Yun was alive, Profound Sword Island still belonged to him, and none of them had to worry about being reassigned to some unknown master. More importantly, Bi Xuan no longer had to fear Yun Canglan’s request.
Li Yun looked over their faces. "You all seem unusually happy." His expression turned a little serious. "Tell me what happened while I was gone."
One of the maidservants spoke up at once. "Most things were manageable, but Yun Canglan went too far."
She quickly explained everything.
"He’s held a grudge ever since he lost to you, Master. The moment he heard you were dead, he came here and tried to take Sister Bi Xuan away. When she refused, he filed an official transfer request." She hesitated. "There’s something else, too."
Li Yun’s gaze sharpened. "What?"
"I heard that before all this, Yun Canglan also wanted to send people to your homeland. He only stopped because someone got in his way."
Li Yun’s expression turned cold, extremely cold. Going after him directly was one thing, but going after the people around him was another. Worse still, Yun Canglan had apparently thought about moving against his homeland, and that crossed a line Li Yun would not tolerate.
He had stopped paying much attention to Yun Canglan before, because the gap between them had already grown too wide, and there was little point in feuding with someone he no longer saw as a real rival. Yet during the short time Li Yun had been missing, Yun Canglan had seized the chance to target everyone connected to him.
If Yun Canglan really had sent several experts at the 5th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm or above into the Azure Void Region, the results could have been disastrous. Very few forces there could stand up to experts of that level. The Heavenly Sword Sect, the Martial Ascension Gate, Li Yun’s clan, and his relatives could all have suffered terrible losses, and if someone had not stepped in, the damage might have been permanent.
"Yun Canglan," Li Yun said, and his eyes turned frighteningly cold. "Very good."
Yun Canglan had arranged attempts on Li Yun’s life before, and Li Yun could let that go. Threatening his family and the people around him was different.
"Where is Yun Canglan now?"
The killing intent hidden in his voice made Bi Xuan and the other maidservants fall silent. For the first time since his return, the man standing in front of them felt truly terrifying.
Elsewhere, in a secluded courtyard, Yun Canglan was lounging comfortably on a chair made of thousand-year spiritwood while two beautiful young women stood behind him, gently massaging his shoulders. A mocking smile crossed his face.
"A mere maidservant thinks she can refuse me?" He laughed. "She can resist all she wants. Once the sect issues the reassignment order, will she still have a choice?"
His laughter grew louder, and he casually reached back and pulled both women into his arms, drawing startled cries from them.
"Li Yun," he said, and his smile turned cruel. "So what if you were talented? So what if everyone praised you? You still died before you could really rise." His eyes gleamed with resentment. "Don’t worry. I’ll slowly destroy everything you left behind. That maidservant Bi Xuan is only the beginning. Sooner or later, your clan, your family, and every force that ever backed you will disappear. Hahaha!"
"Is that so?"
A calm voice suddenly sounded in the courtyard, and Yun Canglan’s laughter stopped dead. His body stiffened, and then he shoved the two women away and spun around.
A young man in white robes stood several meters away. His expression was calm, far too calm.
"Li Yun?" Yun Canglan’s face went pale. "You... you’re supposed to be dead!"
"Dead?" Li Yun shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you." His gaze stayed cold. "Still, I hear you’ve been quite busy while I was away. Would you care to explain yourself?"
Yun Canglan’s face turned ugly, and then his fear slowly gave way to anger.
"Explain myself?" he sneered. "Who do you think you are? Why should I explain anything to you?"
His confidence gradually returned.
"This is the Profound Origin Immortal Sect. Do you think you can just walk in here and do whatever you like? Besides, I’m the young master of the Yun Clan." He drew himself up. "So what if you know what I did? What are you going to do about it? Since you’re alive, I can just stop. From today on, we’ll stay out of each other’s way. What more do you want?"
Li Yun stared at him, and Yun Canglan suddenly waved his hand. Several figures appeared throughout the courtyard at once, each radiating a powerful aura. The weakest of them was at the 4th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm, and the strongest had already reached the 6th level.
Yun Canglan smiled coldly. "Li Yun, if you know what’s good for you, leave right now. Otherwise, I don’t mind teaching you a lesson."
His reasoning was simple. Li Yun had come to his residence and was the one confronting him. If a fight broke out and Yun Canglan used cultivators from his own clan to defend himself, he believed the sect could hardly blame him.
Li Yun looked at the experts around him and then back at Yun Canglan.
"Are you threatening me?"
Yun Canglan laughed. "That’s exactly what I’m doing." He rose fully from his chair. "I’ll give you three breaths to get out of my courtyard. Otherwise, my people will throw you out."
Li Yun shook his head. "I gave you a chance."
Yun Canglan frowned, and Li Yun went on.
"You could have explained yourself. You could have apologized, or you could have stopped before taking this any further." His gaze turned completely indifferent. "But you chose otherwise."
The Profound Origin Sword appeared in his hand.
"Then we’ll settle everything in your next life."
The sword left its sheath with a clang, and Li Yun swung without hesitation. A brilliant streak of Sword Qi tore through the courtyard and flew straight at Yun Canglan.

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