Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 241: Ye Qingxuan: A Death Beyond Your Wildest Imagination

“Elder Tianxing?”

Shock flickered across the faces of Zhao Batian and Li Qingyu as they stared at the broken figure of Liu Tianxing dangling from Han Lie’s grip. Even Bing He’s gaze shifted toward Gui Zhan Zi, his eyes demanding an explanation.

A group of experts went to hunt down two ants, and somehow, they managed to lose a Nascent Soul Elder?

“My apologies, Grand Elder,” Gui Zhan Zi said, his eyes downcast as he offered a clinical explanation. “Sha Zui arrived unexpectedly. To ensure the primary mission wasn’t delayed, Elder Liu Tianxing’s sacrifice became a necessary cost.”

Bing He remained silent, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Old Ghost Yin Mei stood like a withered statue, one hand leaning on his cane and the other tucked behind his back. He didn’t even spare a glance for his captured subordinate.

“Sect Leader! Grand Elder! Save me!”

Liu Tianxing’s voice cracked with desperation as he pleaded with his leaders.

Old Ghost Yin Mei finally looked up, his movements slow and deliberate. “Sect Leader Ye,” he began, his voice a dry rasp. “If you wish to see Han Lie’s parents returned alive, then bring me the cultivation secrets of the Yin Yang Demonic Art. That is the price.”

The moment those words left the old demon’s mouth, Liu Tianxing’s pupils shrunk to the size of needle-points. The cold realization hit him like a physical blow.

What did he just say?

By setting a price for the parents and ignoring his capture, Old Ghost Yin Mei had effectively signed his death warrant. The Sun Moon Sect had abandoned him.

Han Lie was equally stunned. Even for a Demonic Sect, this is cold. Liu Tianxing was a powerhouse at the Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage. The resources, time, and sheer luck required to produce such a cultivator were astronomical—a literal fortune in spirit stones and decades of effort. Yet, Old Ghost Yin Mei was discarding him as if he were a piece of used scrap.

But as the thought settled, the logic became chillingly clear. A Nascent Soul cultivator was valuable, yes, but the Yin Yang Demonic Art was the key to supreme power. To a monster like Yin Mei, the trade was a bargain.

“Old Ghost, you overestimate the value of these two,” Ye Qingxuan said, her voice like drifting snow.

She stood with a regal, untouchable grace. “If it were Han Lie in your hands, This Palace might have considered the trade. But these two ants have no connection to my Heavenly Void Sect. In fact, they were the ones who sold Han Lie into our service years ago.”

She tilted her chin up, her gaze imperious. “In my eyes, they are utterly worthless.”

“Hehe…”

Old Ghost Yin Mei let out a hollow, ghastly chuckle. He extended a withered, claw-like palm.

Behind him, Han Zhentian and Li Susu felt the sudden, suffocating weight of an aura of death. They tried to speak, to scream, but a localized distortion of space gripped their throats, leaving them gasping in silence.

As she felt her life essence beginning to bleed away, two silent tears tracked down Li Susu’s cheeks. She didn’t look at her captors; she looked at Han Lie, her eyes shining with a heartbreaking mixture of pride and peace.

Han Lie’s body went rigid. His fingers sank deeper into the flesh of Liu Tianxing’s neck, the man’s skin bruising under the pressure. He stole a glance at Ye Qingxuan, but the Ice Queen’s face was a mask of absolute indifference.

Despite the fire raging in his chest, Han Lie didn’t break. He knew the stakes. In this psychological deadlock, he had to trust Ye Qingxuan implicitly. Any sign of weakness, any hint of desperation on his part, would only give Yin Mei the leverage he needed to kill them all.

“Hesitation isn’t like you, Old Ghost,” Ye Qingxuan challenged, her tone mocking. “If you don’t have the stomach to finish it, shall This Palace do it for you?”

Yin Mei’s smile was meaningful, predatory. “This Senior believes they are worthless to you, Sect Leader. But to our dear Elder Han Lie? I suspect the truth is quite different.”

Han Lie forced a cold, dismissive laugh. “They have some sentimental value, sure. But believe me, they aren’t worth what you think they are.”

He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I’ll save them if it’s convenient. If it’s not? I won’t lose sleep over it. If you think I’m going to beg the Sect Leader to hand over our foundation for them, you’re delusional. However…”

Han Lie tightened his grip on the prisoner. “Your Elder Liu Tianxing seems much more attached to his life than my parents are.”

Crack.

The sound of shifting vertebrae echoed in the clearing. Liu Tianxing felt the cold kiss of death against his spine. He was a man of power, a man who had clawed his way to the top, and the thought of being discarded like trash by his own Sect filled him with a volatile mix of terror and rage.

“Sect Leader, save me! Give me time… I can still reach the Soul Formation Stage!” Liu Tianxing shrieked, his dignity evaporating. “I have given my life to the Sect! You cannot let me die like this!”

“Tianxing,” Yin Mei said, his voice devoid of any warmth. “You have served well, and the Sect has rewarded you. For the sake of the Sun Moon Sect’s future, you shall make one final contribution today. Do not worry. I will see your family settled comfortably after you are gone.”

Liu Tianxing’s world went dark.

The betrayal burned worse than any wound. He had spent centuries being the butcher for the Sun Moon Sect, only to realize he was just another head on the chopping block. He was a consumable resource. A tool to be used and broken.

“Abandoning your own Elder? Now that’s what I call leadership,” Han Lie sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wonder how the rest of your disciples will feel when they hear their lives are worth less than a scroll of paper?”

It was a blatant attempt to sow discord, but Old Ghost Yin Mei didn’t even blink. He had already proven with Bai Ling that no one was indispensable.

“Sect Leader… if you won’t… won’t save me… then don’t blame me for what comes next!”

Liu Tianxing’s expression twisted into something feral. He looked toward Han Lie and Ye Qingxuan. “Sect Leader Ye! Spare me! Let me live, and I will give you the Sun Moon Sect’s deepest secrets! Secrets that will change everything!”

Ye Qingxuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This Palace gives but one chance. If your information has merit, you live. But if you play games with me…” Her voice turned razor-sharp. “Your death will be beyond your wildest imagination.”

“Yes! Yes! I wouldn’t dare!” Liu Tianxing gasped, his eyes alight with the frantic hope of the damned.

“Liu Tianxing! Have you forgotten your kin? Your family is still within our walls!” Bing He roared, his composure finally breaking.

“Grand Elder, don’t waste your breath!” Liu Tianxing spat, his voice reaching a frenzied peak. “A man who does not act for himself is condemned by heaven and earth! Compared to my own soul, what does family matter? I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!”

CRACK—!

The air itself seemed to splinter.

Old Ghost Yin Mei’s cane thrust forward. A terrifying, light-devouring surge of energy tore through the fabric of space, screaming toward the traitor.

“Sect Leader!”

Han Lie’s hair stood on end. The aura of death wasn’t just targeting Liu Tianxing—it was a wide-scale erasure that included him. In that heartbeat, he saw the phantom scythe of the Reaper hanging over his neck, ready to fall.

………