“I was wondering what kind of congratulatory gift I should give Master if he successfully survived his tribulation and became a Mahayana cultivator,” Shu Xin said with a beaming smile. “Now I’ve thought of the perfect one. I’ll just borrow your head for a while. Master will surely be pleased with this gift.”
Qin Rushan’s cultivation had now fallen, and the look he gave Shu Xin grew even more venomous.
“You wretch! You deliberately ruined my Dao heart!” Qin Rushan had expended an enormous amount of effort to maintain his Wugou Realm cultivation. Now that it had been so easily shattered, his hatred for Shu Xin briefly surpassed even his hatred for Xu Guan.
“How was I supposed to know your Dao heart was so fragile? One little poke and it broke.” As if Qin Rushan’s madness were not yet satisfying enough, Shu Xin continued, “Come to think of it, I received a gift earlier too. It seemed to be a Yuqing Pill.”
The moment Qin Rushan heard those three words, his spirits lifted.
“The Yuqing Pill is in your hands?”
If—if he could reclaim the Yuqing Pill, perhaps he would still have the slightest chance of returning to the Wugou Realm.
After all, he had only just fallen from that realm, hadn’t he?
“If you have the ability, come and take it.” Shu Xin crooked a finger at him. “Kill me, and the pill is yours.”
Those watching from the shadows could not help but view Shu Xin in a new light when they heard this.
She was afraid Qin Rushan would flee, so she had deliberately provoked him.
She had made up her mind to kill Qin Rushan.
Even when Qin Rushan had still been in the Wugou Realm, he had been unable to do anything to Shu Xin. Now that his cultivation had fallen, how could he possibly be her match?
If Qin Rushan were clever enough, he would know that fleeing was his best option under the circumstances.
He should not return to the Longevity Dao Sect. If he changed his name and disappeared from the world, Xu Guan might not truly be able to find him.
But if he hesitated here instead of leaving, then aside from death, he had no other hope.
Shu Xin was probably afraid that Qin Rushan would run away, which was why she had intentionally revealed that the Yuqing Pill was in her possession.
She was betting that someone like Qin Rushan would be unwilling to give up hope.
He had been willing to betray his master and marry into one of the Longevity Dao Sect’s aristocratic clans just to obtain more resources and achieve a higher level of cultivation. How could he possibly agree to flee now, conceal his identity, and live as a wandering cultivator who would be bullied even more miserably than he had been back in the Divine Inquiry Sect?
Sure enough, the moment he heard that the Yuqing Pill was in Shu Xin’s hands, Qin Rushan charged at her like a madman.
“This man is courting death.” The Sword Spirit clicked its tongue in amazement. “He’s completely lost his composure. He can’t even see the situation clearly.”
“It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance back to frugality,” Shu Xin replied calmly. “If he had been able to accept his defeat with equanimity, how could I have ruined his Dao heart so easily? In the end, he was never meant to stand in that position. The Longevity Dao Sect merely used him to hold the Divine Inquiry Sect in check, then forcibly pushed him onto that throne.”
When Qin Rushan attacked, the corners of Shu Xin’s lips lifted into a faint smile.
She seemed to casually flourish her sword, yet an aura that made one’s scalp prickle suddenly emerged from her body. In an instant, she seemed utterly different from before.
It was as though the woman standing there was no longer a female cultivator in the Dongtian Realm, but a great sword cultivator who had fought through countless battles.
The moment Qin Rushan entered the area suffused with Shu Xin’s sword intent, his movements suddenly seemed to slow.
He had no idea that his robes and magical treasures were being damaged at an abnormal rate.
Fine strands of sword intent slipped silently through the space around him, continuously eroding everything on his person.
Truly formidable swordsmanship was never the kind that created a spectacular display and hacked an opponent into countless pieces.
On the contrary, the most powerful sword techniques killed their targets before they even realized they had been struck.
Shu Xin’s sword was like a gentle breeze, or a cloud drifting over your head.
It appeared ordinary, yet the closer one looked, the more profound and mysterious it became. It was impossible to describe in words what Dao she had cultivated or what kind of sword she practiced.
Moistening all things in silence.
The true meaning revealed in the smallest details.
The crowd sensed no overwhelming killing intent. They only felt as though something had flown past them.
“Hiss—” The sword cultivator elder of the Carefree Dao Sect drew a sharp breath, feeling his scalp grow numb.
He had seen many sword-cultivator prodigies. Every one of them was utterly devoted to the sword, eager to reach the state of becoming one with it.
But Shu Xin gave him a completely different impression.
In fact, he could not even feel that Shu Xin was a sword cultivator.
There was no trace on her of any particular attachment to the sword.
It was as though she did not care whether the weapon in her hand was a sword or a saber. Even if she were given an axe or a hammer, she could wield it just as well.
And yet, precisely because of that seemingly casual attitude, one could see how swift and steady her sword was.
There was not the slightest hesitation.
Qin Rushan, who had already been struck by the sword, remained completely unaware.
In the eyes of the onlookers, he was already certain to die.
But he himself still maintained his former posture, attempting to kill Shu Xin.
It was only when he was about to reach her that Qin Rushan’s body sensed that something was wrong.
Where is my hand?
He wanted to strike Shu Xin down with his palm, but when he tried to raise his arm, he could no longer feel his right hand.
He tried to form a few hand seals, only to discover that he seemed to have lost even his left hand.
Qin Rushan turned his head and saw that his body appeared to be standing behind him. Countless sword marks covered it. His body was like a porcelain vase shattered by an external force, the cracks spreading without end. In the blink of an eye, the entire vase broke apart and became a heap of fragments.
Bang.
What was that sound?
Huh?
Was that my body?
No—no!
For a brief moment, Qin Rushan’s thoughts became much clearer.
He suddenly remembered that this woman before him had been someone he could not contend with even when he was in the Wugou Realm.
Someone had once said that Shu Xin was the strongest cultivator in the Dongtian Realm.
Among the prodigies of her generation, no one had ever questioned her reputation.
Even Long Ling of the Longevity Dao Sect had never expressed the slightest dissatisfaction with that title.
So why hadn’t he fled?
So that was it. He was supposed to run.
Qin Rushan’s primordial spirit looked toward the rear of the Divine Inquiry Sect.
Dark clouds were gathering there.
That was where the Divine Inquiry Sect stood.
In a daze, he seemed to see his master once more.
Back then, his master had used a few pieces of silver to ransom him—the shepherd boy—from a landlord, saying that he would take him to cultivate immortality.
Then he had followed his master all the way back to the foot of the Divine Inquiry Sect’s mountain.
But this time, he saw his master close the gates of the Divine Inquiry Sect to him forever.
“With skills like yours, don’t bother Master anymore,” Shu Xin said lightly. “Someone like you stopped being Master’s opponent a long time ago.”
As her words fell, Qin Rushan’s primordial spirit was torn to pieces along with the sword light.
As for his physical body, the sword intent had divided it into such fine fragments that no one paid any attention to whether the flesh had been drained of blood or completely devoured by the sword light.
Shu Xin lightly flicked the blade of her sword, sending the last trace of blood flying, then calmly returned both swords to their sheaths as though no one else were present.
It was as if she had not just killed a Grotto-Heaven cultivator who had fallen from the Immaculate Realm, but merely an ordinary low-level cultivator.
“How… how did she even make that move?” White Crane Dao Lord nearly tore out his own beard.
He had heard that Shu Xin was the strongest cultivator in the Grotto-Heaven Realm, and had also heard his foolish disciple praise her countless times, saying how formidable she was and so on.
But exactly what made her so formidable, Qu Yougu had never been able to explain.
Back when they were at the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, White Crane Dao Lord had been busy dealing with those Immaculate Realm demon cultivators, or else protecting his disciple. Whenever Shu Xin set up her sword formation to face an enemy, no one outside had any idea what she had actually done.
Only now did White Crane Dao Lord understand why Qu Yougu could never explain it.
Because he himself had not understood it either!
Several elders who knew one another could not help looking toward the elder from the Carefree Dao Sect, who was deeply versed in swordsmanship.
“She probably doesn’t cultivate pure swordsmanship,” the elder from the Carefree Dao Sect said after hesitating for a moment. “On the one hand, she was relying on the sharpness of her spiritual swords to execute such a move. On the other hand, I can only say that her Dao heart has probably reached a state of flawless perfection. She seized the best opportunity and used the most appropriate move at precisely the right moment. But as far as the sword technique itself is concerned, there is nothing particularly special about it.”
If asked to use the exact same move, this sword cultivator could indeed do so.
The problem was that in an actual battle, the enemy was not a wooden post standing still and waiting to be struck.
Nor would the enemy possibly let you see every movement with perfect clarity, allowing you to execute your swordsmanship flawlessly.
In theory, Shu Xin’s approach was entirely feasible. But in an actual fight, who would do such a thing? Didn’t sword cultivators normally take up their swords and fight until the one with the stronger swordsmanship, the fiercer sword intent, and the greater endurance emerged victorious?
Most sword cultivators followed either the path of comprehension or that of instinct.
Someone who relied on technique to this extent was truly rare.
“So it really is her!” Yin Rushi had finally become certain after watching Shu Xin once again cut her enemy down without leaving even the slightest trace behind.
Over the past century, there had always been demon cultivators who were slaughtered by some strange cultivator until not even a trace remained—not even their primordial spirits or souls. The few survivors could only say that their attacker had been a female cultivator, but none of them could describe her appearance clearly.
The various demon-cultivator sects had suffered terribly because of it.
In recent years, the Daoist sects had occasionally produced a few geniuses, yet the number of talented young demon cultivators had dwindled considerably.
It simply made no sense.
After all, demon cultivators who advanced quickly by taking shortcuts should have produced even more powerful young talents with promising potential.
But over the past century, the situation had practically reversed itself.
The biggest scourge was a Killing God who had appeared out of nowhere, one who specifically hunted demon cultivators with exceptional talent, excellent spiritual roots, and promising futures!
That demon cultivator who was practically a Killing God would not attack just anyone. The younger, more powerful, and more distinguished the demon cultivator’s background, the more enthusiastic the killer became.
Some survivors even claimed that, before killing a demon cultivator, the Killing God would extract all of their spiritual roots and use them to refine magical treasures!
Thus, for a very long time, everyone had assumed that this Killing God was actually another demon cultivator. After all, they left no trace behind after killing their victims, and their habit of wiping out every last remnant before setting the bodies ablaze was far too demonic.
Yet all these years, the demon cultivators had argued among themselves until their sects nearly fell apart, and they still had no idea who had been responsible.
Since Yin Rushi was a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect and had carried out more than a few blood sacrifices of fellow demon cultivators, many people had pinned the blame on him.
He had been unjustly accused beyond words!
Yin Rushi had once tried to lure the Killing God out by fooling several powerful demon cultivators into disguising themselves as insignificant weaklings.
But that Killing God seemed to have eyes on the back of their head and had never taken the bait.
Yin Rushi had wanted to capture that bastard for a very long time. He had begun suspecting Shu Xin after she killed Juechen of the Corpse Yin Demon Sect.
And now, he had finally confirmed it.
“Senior Brother Yin, are you certain you still want to go down there and capture Shu Xin?” Cui Yuhua asked despite himself.
He admitted that merely looking at this eerie female cultivator made his back prickle with unease.
Qin Rushan had at least been a renowned cultivator of the Immaculate Realm and should have been extremely difficult to kill. Yet Shu Xin had shattered his Dao heart with only a few words, and now he had died without even leaving a corpse behind. It was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
No one knew what kind of cultivation technique this woman practiced. How could it be so sinister?
If Shu Xin had not once been a member of the Immortality Dao Sect, and had later become Xu Guan’s disciple, Cui Yuhua might have suspected that their own Blood Demon Ancestor had secretly taken another disciple somewhere outside.
“I originally intended to,” Yin Rushi said honestly. “But after seeing this, I think I’d better wait a while.”
He had originally thought he had made sufficient preparations and should be able to take Shu Xin down.
Now, it seemed he would be wiser to proceed with a little more caution.
Xi Fu also discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Back at the Unthinking Mountain Villa, it had been fortunate that his master had possessed his body and greatly increased his strength, which was why Shu Xin had not attacked.
Otherwise, if he had been forced to face her alone from beginning to end, he would probably have died beneath her sword long ago.
[Hahaha, satisfying!]
The Sword Spirit enjoyed having another small patch of blood cleaned from its body while listening to the cultivators hiding in the darkness praise Shu Xin. Its mood was indescribably delighted!
Now you know how formidable she is, right?
Its sword master was obviously incredible.
You’re already this shocked by her killing a Qin Rushan. Just wait until she kills a few Earthly Immortals to entertain you. Then you’ll understand the vastness of the heavens and the earth!
“Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Shu Xin on successfully purging the sect,” Cui Yuhua said, appearing in the air and cupping his hands from a distance. “The Ancestor has given his orders. We are to protect your master as he ascends to the Mahayana Realm.”
Yin Rushi and Xi Fu behind him also cupped their hands and offered their congratulations.
The few cultivators from the Fiend Demon Sect were so angry that they rolled their eyes. The one who had a grudge against Xu Guan in particular clenched his fists in fury.
What was wrong with the Blood Demon Sect?
The Blood Demon Ancestor was clearly deliberately causing trouble, intentionally coming here to make things difficult for them at this exact moment.
The elders of the Qianyi Dao Sect, led by White Crane Dao Lord, found Cui Yuhua’s words even more absurd.
What?
For a moment, they nearly thought they had misheard him.
Still, they could only follow along and offer their congratulations.
“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Shu Xin.”
“Qin Rushan deserved his fate. Fellow Daoist Shu Xin has also rid the world of a great menace.”
“The Seeking-God Sect has had one joyous occasion after another. Congratulations are certainly in order.”
In any case, none of the cultivators from the Immortality Dao Sect were present, so they had no difficulty whatsoever offering their congratulations.
…
The Sword Spirit was dumbfounded.
[…The bottom line of you humans really is remarkably flexible.]
A moment ago, they had still been calling her “Little Friend,” and now they were directly addressing Shu Xin as “Fellow Daoist”?
Then again, if Xu Guan became a Mahayana cultivator, Shu Xin’s seniority and status would both rise another level.
Whether demon cultivators or Daoist cultivators, they truly were a bunch of utterly practical creatures.
“On the battlefield, kill whoever needs killing. There’s no need to overthink it,” Shu Xin said slowly to the Sword Spirit. “When you’re poor, no one cares about you even in a bustling city; when you’re rich, you’ll have distant relatives even in the mountains. In this world, there are always more people who add flowers to brocade than those who offer charcoal in the snow. I displayed my strength, and my master immediately gained even greater power. The Asking God Sect is about to become a completely different force, so naturally their attitude has changed for the better. It’s as simple as that.”
Even though the Asking God Sect was now a demonic sect, these people would still come to offer their congratulations.
The world bustled for profit, and the world rushed about for gain.
The cultivation world had always been a place where both strength and social savvy mattered.
“So it turns out that as long as you’re rich and powerful, everyone becomes a good person.” Shu Xin burst out laughing. “It seems the chances of my master successfully surviving his tribulation are at least eighty or ninety percent. Otherwise, all of you wouldn’t be so polite to me.”
Shu Xin returned their salute. “For now, I’ll accept your goodwill. But if we happen to face one another in the future, my master and I will do what must be done. I hope none of you will take offense.”
At the rear mountain of the Asking God Sect.
Ning Weixuan had followed his master Wuweizi’s orders and arrived at Xu Guan’s secluded retreat.
Now that the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had vanished, the various measures originally prepared around Xu Guan’s retreat had been greatly weakened.
With a casual spell, Ning Weixuan passed through them without the slightest obstruction.
Xu Guan was currently occupied with surviving his tribulation. All Ning Weixuan had to do was tamper with things slightly and increase the difficulty of Xu Guan’s tribulation by an entire level. It would not be difficult.
Ning Weixuan knew that this was his chance to prove himself to his master.
Otherwise, if another position at the Grand Ascension stage became available, who knew how long it would be before it was his turn?
There was absolutely no way he would allow Xu Guan to compete with him for it!
Ning Weixuan strode into Xu Guan’s secluded retreat and called out, “Fellow Daoist Xu, all your disciples outside have been killed, and the Asking God Sect has been destroyed. Now the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book has vanished, yet you remain here alone, undergoing your tribulation. How will you ever have the face to meet the ancestors of the Asking God Sect in the afterlife?”
Clearly, Ning Weixuan intended to disrupt Xu Guan’s state of mind first.
“Speaking of which, your disciples were truly loyal. Even as they died, they refused to reveal your whereabouts. What a pity. Every one of them was young, talented, and gifted. If they had survived, they would surely have become pillars of the Asking God Sect.”
As Ning Weixuan spoke, he walked forward while forming several incantations with his hands. He planned to set up a modified Thunderclap Formation in Xu Guan’s retreat, artificially increasing the power of the heavenly tribulation.
However, as Ning Weixuan gradually arranged his methods, he unexpectedly sensed an obscure presence nearby.
He casually cast a spell.
The spell did not strike the enemy, but it exposed the enemy’s figure.
A masked young cultivator emerged from his concealed state.
Ning Weixuan studied the young cultivator before him and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
But he did not dare underestimate the cultivator who had followed him here. The man was at least in the later stage of the Immaculate realm; otherwise, he could not have remained hidden until now.
Still, Ning Weixuan knew the Asking God Sect’s resources all too well. The people of the Longevity Dao Sect had long since investigated them thoroughly.
This person absolutely could not be from the Asking God Sect. More likely, he was a cultivator from another sect who had disguised himself and come here.
“Who are you?” Ning Weixuan asked. “You managed to conceal yourself beside me for so long, and I only noticed something was wrong when you began interfering with my formation. Your cultivation technique is quite unusual. You must come from a renowned sect. There are only so many cultivators in the Immaculate realm, yet I don’t seem to recognize you. Or perhaps this is merely a disguise?”
Wen Jingzhi said nothing. He simply stared silently at Ning Weixuan.
Ning Weixuan was nothing like trash such as Qin Rushan.
He was extremely capable and exceedingly meticulous.
Especially after killing Gong Changshou and seizing the resources of his secret realm, he had completely repaired his foundation. He also possessed a jade tablet bestowed by an Earthly Immortal. No one knew what other life-saving measures he might have on him. How could Wen Jingzhi act rashly?
All he could do was stall for time, disrupt Ning Weixuan’s actions, and allow Xu Guan to undergo his tribulation in peace.
“Not saying a word? Are you someone I know, and afraid that speaking will expose your identity?” Ning Weixuan narrowed his eyes. He had a few suspicions, but he could not be certain.
“At a time like this, there shouldn’t be many unfamiliar cultivators in the Immaculate realm willing to come to the Asking God Sect’s aid.”
“Among those who would openly dare to help Xu Guan, only the direct disciples of the eight Earthly Immortals qualify. But even the Blood Demon Ancestor would never go this far. They might lend Xu Guan a hand in passing, but only after he successfully survives his tribulation. As for someone who would appear directly before me now while refusing to reveal his identity, I truly cannot understand who would do something so thankless.”
Ning Weixuan had already run through every Immaculate-realm cultivator who might be involved.
Yet he still could not find a suitable suspect.
The feeling was simply too strange.
It was just like back then, when he had been injured by that bizarre Grand Ascension sword cultivator within the sect. Even now, he still had no idea who his enemy was.
But the person before him seemed different somehow.
Wen Jingzhi did not wait for Ning Weixuan to continue guessing.
He attacked directly.
Ning Weixuan had been on guard against Wen Jingzhi’s move, so he immediately engaged him. At the same time, he continued eliminating each possibility in his mind.
“Your techniques are utterly ordinary. Are you deliberately holding back so you won’t reveal your true strength?” Ning Weixuan keenly noticed that the other man’s attacks were clearly restrained. Although he had struck first, his attacks focused mainly on defense. He was obviously only trying to stall for time.
Strange. This was far too strange.
And the fact that his opponent continued refusing to speak made him even more suspicious.
“Are you afraid I’ll recognize you?”
“If you were a demonic cultivator, you wouldn’t act like this.”
“Shu Xin trusts you so much that she didn’t come personally to protect her master. Instead, she felt safe sending you to fight me. Does she believe you would never betray her?”
How was that possible?
Ning Weixuan had already experienced Shu Xin’s cunning and varied methods firsthand.
When had the Longevity Dao Sect ever gained the upper hand against Shu Xin?
In the blink of an eye, an inconceivable possibility flashed through Ning Weixuan’s mind.
He had not considered this person earlier because, on the surface, this person and Shu Xin had severed all ties long ago.
Moreover, in the early years, that person had only been a minor cultivator in the Grotto-Heaven realm. It was impossible to associate him with the late-Immaculate cultivator before him.
But once every impossible option was eliminated, the remaining possibility had to be the correct answer.
With that, every mystery was solved: why the other party refused to speak, why he dared not reveal his cultivation technique, and why his origins were concealed.
“You’re Situ Jian!” Ning Weixuan blurted out. “So you and Shu Xin really have never severed ties. The two of you have been putting on an act from beginning to end.”
“You’ve been plotting against the Longevity Dao Sect all along!”
Wen Jingzhi: Sister Shu is the coolest!
Ning Weixuan passed by and spat.
