The news that Xu Guan had reached the Mahayana stage spread throughout the entire cultivation world in the blink of an eye.
The disciples who had been traveling outside also hurried back to Wen Shen Sect at the first opportunity.
However, as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they discovered that the barren wasteland there had, in a matter of days, developed into a small town. Cultivators from all over the world had gathered there. Many were rogue cultivators, while quite a few came from minor clans and had settled in the town with their entire families.
Their reason for coming was simple enough.
Xu Guan of Wen Shen Sect had reached the Mahayana stage, and his eldest disciple, Shu Xin, had attained the Wugou Realm. With this pair of master and disciple, Wen Shen Sect was bound to rise. And for a sect to grow stronger, it naturally needed to recruit disciples.
Thus, the rogue cultivators and cultivators from minor clans had come running at the first whiff of opportunity.
Yi Renjie and the others felt an indescribable mixture of emotions at the sight.
Wen Shen Sect was finally no longer the insignificant little sect it had once been, but it seemed that trouble had increased along with its status.
After the group reunited and climbed the mountain together, they discovered that the situation there was even more outrageous.
Yi Renjie in particular was stunned to see the sect masters and elders from the various sects who had once accompanied their master to banquets all gathered together, surrounding Senior Sister.
“Senior Sister, I’ll help you!”
Cao Ru immediately sensed that something was wrong. Mistaking the scene for these people bullying their senior sister, she charged forward without hesitation.
Yi Renjie tried to grab her, but he was too late.
How could these people possibly be a match for Senior Sister?
Sure enough, when Cao Ru approached them, she realized that something was amiss.
The sect masters and elders of these minor sects had surrounded Senior Sister so tightly because they were trying to force spirit stones into her hands.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, please do us this favor. These are the spirit stones from our sect, along with the cultivation manual jade slips we safeguarded for you back then. Please accept them.”
“Fellow Daoist Shu, these are portraits of the handsome young male disciples from our sect. If you take a liking to any of them, just say the word. I can have them practice dual-cultivation techniques in advance so that you may draw on their cultivation. And if none of them catch your eye, perhaps one of your junior brothers or sisters will find someone to their liking.”
“Fellow Daoist Shu, these are the magic artifacts from our sect. Please, you must honor us by accepting them.”
…
To protect Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi, Xu Guan had gone straight to confront Master Yushan as soon as he finished surviving his tribulation. Now that the problem had been resolved, he naturally needed to return to seclusion and stabilize his cultivation.
As for all the affairs of the sect, he left them entirely to Shu Xin. This also kept her too busy to run off and cause trouble elsewhere.
And so, Shu Xin became entangled with the people from these minor sects.
“I don’t need any of this, thank you.” Shu Xin had never imagined that there would come a day when she would be unmoved by either spirit stones or beautiful people.
The people from these minor sects were completely different from those of the major sects.
They had even fewer scruples and cared nothing for face.
“Please rest assured, Sect Masters. Our Wen Shen Sect has no intention of making your sects subordinate sects. We will not take back the cultivation manual jade slips we gave you back then, either.” Shu Xin emphasized this again and again. “If you truly insist, then I’ll accept the spirit stones you brought. But please take everything else back, all right?”
She really had no idea what else to do.
In truth, she could have accepted everything, but Xu Guan had forbidden it.
According to Xu Guan, Wen Shen Sect had lost the protection of the Divine Flame Diagram Spirit Scripture and was only just beginning to rise again. That meant the sect’s conduct had to be upright. The quick and easy money-making schemes they had relied on in the past could no longer continue.
They had not even gone into the business yet, and they were already trying to wash their reputation clean.
Shu Xin had no choice.
After all, she was the disciple, while Xu Guan was her master.
Now that she saw her junior brothers and sisters returning, Shu Xin’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Junior Sister Cao Ru, you came back at just the right time. Why don’t you entertain these Sect Masters and elders for me? I have something else to take care of.”
With that, Shu Xin embraced the spirit of “let someone else suffer as long as it isn’t me,” dumped the entire mess onto her junior brothers and sisters, and slipped away without the slightest hesitation.
Her junior brothers and sisters were left behind with blank expressions, forced to greet the sect masters and elders with bitter smiles.
[You’re going a little too far, aren’t you? You dumped everything on your junior brothers and sisters?]
“What nonsense. Now that the servants are back, do I still need to work myself?” Shu Xin replied righteously. “I’ve already been obediently staying in the sect. What more do they want from me? If I stay any longer, I’m afraid I might end up accepting all their spirit stones, and that wouldn’t be good.”
[It’s not as though you’ve never accepted spirit stones without doing any work.]
The Sword Spirit mocked her. Why was she pretending to be someone she wasn’t?
“I’d like to, too. But Wen Shen Sect is only just getting started. If I act like that, my master will scold me.” Shu Xin spread her hands. “I’m still counting on him to protect me—and Wen Jingzhi, too. I have a whole family to support. When you’re living under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head.”
[…Where’s the little fox?]
“He went to look for his subordinates.” Shu Xin stretched lazily. “Heroes emerge in troubled times. The more chaotic things become, the more it turns into a stage for ambitious schemers. With our current strength, trying to oppose an Earthly Immortal would be sheer delusion. Of course we need to accumulate resources while keeping a low profile, and slowly build up our own forces. That’s the sensible thing to do.”
[Then you could build up your own forces, too.]
“Isn’t Wen Shen Sect already my force?” Shu Xin asked, shocked. Then she pointed back at herself. “I don’t have to do anything, and all my junior brothers and sisters already follow my lead. Wen Shen Sect is practically in the palm of my hand. All I need to do is stay put.”
“Wen Jingzhi is still too young.” Shu Xin clicked her tongue. “Why struggle to build something from nothing when seizing someone else’s property is so much faster? He still needs to learn that choosing well is more important than working hard. He doesn’t understand how to live off his partner!”
Wasn’t this much faster than painstakingly struggling away, when she could simply make precise investments and reap the harvest directly?
In every era, running an actual business was never as profitable as running finance.
Shu Xin had clearly decided to live off Wen Shen Sect’s accomplishments for the rest of her life.
As for Wen Jingzhi—well, he was still young, so she would let him go out and make his way in the world first.
If he managed to make something of himself, she would have another person to live off.
If he failed, he could simply come back and live off Xu Guan and the Sword Spirit with her.
As long as the four of them built a good life together, that would be better than anything else.
The Sword Spirit fell silent.
Xu Guan and Wen Shen Sect were truly unlucky.
How much effort had Shu Xin actually put in? Yet Wen Shen Sect was already on the verge of becoming hers.
In some ways, its sword master was astonishingly capable!
While Wen Shen Sect was in complete chaos, the other sects were naturally faring no better.
Changsheng Dao Sect appeared to have quieted down, but everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.
No one knew which sect would run into trouble next.
Wen Jingzhi transformed into a clone and secretly slipped away to meet his subordinates at the location they had agreed upon beforehand.
To ensure their safety, these subordinates had come up with all sorts of ingenious methods.
Some had personally disguised themselves. Others had brought magic artifacts that concealed their identities. Still others had arrived by controlling puppets or spirit beasts.
Nearly all of these subordinates were trusted confidants whom Wen Jingzhi had cultivated over many years.
Almost every one of them bore a deep grudge against Changsheng Dao Sect.
Over the years, half of the resources Wen Jingzhi had seized had gone to Shu Xin, while the other half had been poured into his subordinates.
After all, the cultivation technique he practiced could only be advanced by plundering other people’s cultivation and spiritual roots. At all other times, he was essentially suppressing his demonic qi and tempering his state of mind, so he rarely needed to use these resources.
When Wen Jingzhi had taken his revenge back then, he had already found quite a few ways out for them.
If they wanted to evade the pursuit of the Changsheng Dao Sect, the safest place to go was not somewhere else, but a sect that was at odds with the Changsheng Dao Sect.
No sect could keep track of everything happening within its borders.
With a little maneuvering and a few spirit stones, it was not difficult to forge identities for them as servant disciples or outer disciples of other sects.
After leaving the Changsheng Dao Sect, these subordinates could transform overnight into outer disciples of sects such as the Myriad Dao Sect or the Carefree Dao Sect. Even if the Changsheng Dao Sect truly came after them, they could drag those other Dao Sects into the conflict as well.
Now, the only useful subordinate Wen Jingzhi had left within the Changsheng Dao Sect was Song Ping.
As Wen Jingshu’s disciple, Song Ping’s life had become difficult after her death. However, on the surface, he had no connection whatsoever with Situ Jian. In fact, he bore the enmity of having his master killed, so his circumstances were still fairly tolerable.
Naturally, he had also become the final nail Wen Jingzhi had planted within the Changsheng Dao Sect.
Now that the cultivation world was in turmoil, they had joined forces tightly, constantly climbing upward by relying on one another’s strength and information. To some extent, they had achieved quite a bit.
Shu Xin had once said that profit was the only eternal friend.
Even if all these people carried blood feuds on their shoulders, there was no guarantee that they would not forget their hatred and betray Wen Jingzhi after enjoying a better life. Therefore, Wen Jingzhi had fabricated false identities for every one of them, arranging new positions for them within different sects and factions. Their true identities, meanwhile, were all in Wen Jingzhi’s hands.
The moment they betrayed him, they would have to consider whether they could survive once their identities were exposed.
And now, Wen Jingzhi was capable of preserving his life even under the pursuit of the Earthly Immortals. His subordinates admired him all the more for it and naturally became even less willing to betray him.
By following Wen Jingzhi, they had sufficient cultivation resources, the power to protect themselves, and the chance to take revenge and settle their blood debts.
But if they betrayed him, they would lose everything.
Where else could they find a leader who would arrange an escape route for them before they even set out to accomplish something major?
For that reason, these people were utterly loyal to Wen Jingzhi.
Now that they saw Wen Jingzhi was not only unharmed but had even stabilized his cultivation in the Wugou Realm, they were all overjoyed.
“Congratulations, Master. Many congratulations!” Song Ping said excitedly. “The entire Changsheng Dao Sect is in a state of panic. Several major clans have already begun fighting fiercely over the positions among the Nine Sons of Longevity.”
Ning Weixuan, Gong Changshou, Wen Jingshu, and Fu Ge had all died, leaving four of the nine positions vacant at once.
How could the clans within the sect possibly remain seated after seeing that?
They did not even need anyone to incite them. They were already fighting each other to the death.
“Once the positions among the Nine Sons of Longevity are filled again, the Changsheng Dao Sect will have no choice but to expand outward in order to divert its internal conflicts,” Wen Jingzhi said incisively. “The Changsheng Dao Sect may appear to have done nothing for now, but it must certainly be making preparations in secret.”
Master Yushan had not even sent word of what he was doing in the Divine Inquiry Sect. That was extremely strange.
It meant that the Changsheng Dao Sect had temporarily set his matter aside and did not wish to create further complications. Clearly, they had something more important to deal with.
“What problems have arisen in the other sects?”
“On the Myriad Dao Sect’s side, White Crane Dao Lord and Qu Yougu were both punished by the sect master. For the next hundred years, they must cultivate in the Formless Mountains and are forbidden from taking even a single step outside.” The spy hidden within the Myriad Dao Sect spoke slowly. “At present, several peaks within the Myriad Dao Sect are fighting fiercely. They seem to intend to absorb all the surrounding minor sects and clans first, and then attack a demonic sect.”
“The Myriad Dao Sect’s master has great ambitions but little ability. His cultivation is decent enough, but his management skills are an utter mess,” Wen Jingzhi replied. “During his time in charge of the sect, the conflicts between its various factions have not eased at all. Instead, they have grown increasingly intense. During this period, I will guide you in your cultivation and help you enter the faction descended from the sect master’s own peak. If I am not mistaken, after suppressing his true nature for so long, this sect master is about to begin supporting his own mountain and suppressing the other factions.”
“Thank you, Master!” the subordinate hidden within the Myriad Dao Sect said sincerely.
“Master, something seems wrong with the Nine Heavens Dao Sect,” another subordinate replied. “I am currently the deputy of a steward. I have noticed that the sect has been transferring resources with unusual frequency recently.”
“Do you have the ledgers?” Wen Jingzhi asked.
“Yes, yes, I do.” The subordinate immediately handed over the ledger he had recorded long ago.
Wen Jingzhi studied it carefully but could not see anything unusual for the time being. After returning, he would have Shu Xin take a look at it as well. “I’ll notify you once I find anything suspicious.”
“Yes.”
The other subordinates also reported the circumstances of the sects where they were stationed.
After listening to them, Wen Jingzhi formulated plans for their next stage and offered them some guidance on their cultivation before allowing them to leave.
Only after returning to the Divine Inquiry Sect did Wen Jingzhi take out the ledger and hand it to Shu Xin.
When it came to bookkeeping, Shu Xin was frighteningly experienced.
“Let me see.” Shu Xin took the jade slip Wen Jingzhi handed over. “Hmm. This ledger looks quite convincing at first glance, but there are still plenty of problems with it. Which demonic sect did you steal this ledger from?”
“A demonic sect?” Wen Jingzhi immediately realized that something was wrong.
Meanwhile, within the Myriad Dao Sect—
Xie Xianzhi had gone to the Formless Mountains to seek an audience with Qu Yougu. In the end, he had only managed to meet Qu Yougu with White Crane Dao Lord’s approval.
“Fellow Daoist Qu, are you all right?” Xie Xianzhi was clearly worried.
Xie Xianzhi had never imagined that so many things could happen in such a short period of time.
He had never had many friends before. Even within the sect, his senior brothers and sisters kept their distance from him. He had only a few friends to begin with.
Recently, he had felt that his master and martial uncle seemed to be plotting something again and had no time to pay attention to him, so he had quietly slipped out.
Seeing that Xie Xianzhi seemed troubled, Qu Yougu asked, “Did you come to see me because something happened?”
“Yes, yes. Is it that obvious?” Xie Xianzhi scratched his head and said dejectedly, “There are some things I can’t tell the people in my sect. I don’t know many other friends either, so I had no choice but to come to you.”
“However, I heard that Fellow Daoist Shu rejected you.” Xie Xianzhi was clearly terrible at speaking tactfully. “Are you all right?”
“…If you hadn’t asked me, none of this would have happened.” Qu Yougu sounded utterly listless, but he could not bring himself to say anything more to Xie Xianzhi. After all, Xie Xianzhi himself had been raised in isolation from the outside world, an “individual” shaped by his sect. He had grown up and survived within the territory demarcated by the sect, and knew nothing of human relationships or worldly ways. How could Qu Yougu expect too much from him?
“Fellow Daoist Shu is already in the Wugou Realm. We ought to address her as Senior,” Xie Xianzhi said, poking at the sore spot yet again. “I originally wanted to go and find her, but my master said that the Wenshen Sect has been attracting too much attention lately, so I shouldn’t trouble her at a time like this. It would be fine if Fellow Daoist Situ were still around, but whenever I mention him now, my master glares at me.”
Situ Jian was now listed in the private records of every Earth Immortal. Who would dare have anything to do with him?
Whenever people mentioned Situ Jian, they simply assumed that he no longer existed.
“Why did you come looking for me?” Qu Yougu no longer wanted to discuss this topic with Xie Xianzhi.
“I think several of my senior brothers and sisters, as well as a few of my martial uncles, have become rather strange.” Xie Xianzhi hesitated for a moment before continuing. “In the past, when they smiled at me, I still felt uncomfortable, but I knew they looked at me as though I were a spirit beast. There wasn’t much malice in it. But now, when they look at me, it feels as if they want to eat me alive.”
Hearing this, Qu Yougu could not help asking, “Has there been too much going on in your sect recently? Have you mentioned this to your master?”
“I did. He said I was imagining things.” Xie Xianzhi pursed his lips. “He said that people in the sect have been on edge lately, so some changes are normal. But recently, I feel as though my master has changed too.”
Xie Xianzhi found it difficult to describe what he was feeling.
“Sometimes, I realize that my master suddenly doesn’t seem like my master anymore. But the next moment, he becomes my master again.” Xie Xianzhi felt like a drowning man clutching at a piece of driftwood, without knowing where it would carry him. “I feel as though something is wrong with more or less everyone around me, but after a while, they become themselves again.”
“Fellow Daoist Qu, I heard that you once captured people from the Spirit-Possession Demon Sect. That means you must have some Clear-Mirror Divine Water.” Only then did Xie Xianzhi reveal the reason for his visit. “I feel as though they’ve all been manipulated by demonic cultivators, but I’m not certain.”
“Your master is already in the Wugou Realm. How could someone from the Spirit-Possession Demon Sect influence him?” Qu Yougu thought for a moment. “Besides, your sect has an Earth Immortal guarding it. Who would be foolish enough to cause trouble there? Back then, that demonic cultivator from the Spirit-Possession Demon Sect didn’t even dare possess someone from the Hu family. He could only take a roundabout approach and get close to someone by my side.”
“As for the Clear-Mirror Divine Water, the sect only has a small supply. If you had come to me earlier, I might have been able to apply for some on your behalf. But now, I’m a sinner under accusation myself. There’s nothing I can do.” Qu Yougu answered honestly.
“That’s what I thought too. That’s why I’ve begun to wonder if the problem is with me. Perhaps I’ve been through too much lately, and my state of mind has become unstable, causing inner demons to appear.” Xie Xianzhi rubbed his forehead. “Fellow Daoist Qu, just forget what I told you.”
“Perhaps you could speak with Shu Xin.” Qu Yougu’s mood grew complicated at the mention of her name. “She should understand the Spirit-Possession Demon Sect better than I do. She was the one who discovered that demonic cultivator before I did.”
“I want to go, but my master won’t allow it. It took me ages of pestering him just to get permission to come see you.” Xie Xianzhi sighed. “Forget it. I’ve decided to return and enter seclusion. Perhaps my unstable cultivation really has caused inner demons. If I discover that something is truly wrong, I’ll come back and ask for your help.”
“Senior Brother Qu, your friend needs to leave.” One of Qu Yougu’s junior brothers hurried over to him. “The sect master said outsiders aren’t allowed in here.”
Xie Xianzhi had only been able to enter and see Qu Yougu because White Crane Dao Lord had secretly helped him.
“Fellow Daoist Qu, take good care of yourself.” Xie Xianzhi paused, then said seriously, “I don’t have many friends. You must cherish yourself.”
“Thank you.” Qu Yougu nodded solemnly.
Only then did Xie Xianzhi leave.
However, seeing Xie Xianzhi’s condition, Qu Yougu was still worried.
After Xie Xianzhi had gone, Qu Yougu once again went to see White Crane Dao Lord. He asked whether any of his master’s acquaintances might possess some Clear-Mirror Divine Water. If they could find a little and send it to Xie Xianzhi, it might help him let go of the inner demons in his heart—and would also benefit his cultivation.
Unfortunately, White Crane Dao Lord did not have any either.
Clear-Mirror Divine Water was extremely difficult to produce, and its effects were also limited in duration. Ordinary sects generally kept only a small amount in reserve.
Seeing this, Qu Yougu had no choice but to set the matter aside.
Three years later.
Qu Yougu suddenly received some news.
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Wenshen Sect did not recruit disciples from among the rogue cultivators and influential clans. Instead, it had set its sights on some mortal servants, selecting young people from among them and accepting them into the sect to help them embark on the path of cultivation.
This move undoubtedly made quite a few sects feel threatened.
In fact, they had already planted numerous informants in the towns beneath the Wenshen Sect’s mountain. As long as the Wenshen Sect began accepting new disciples, those informants could take advantage of the opportunity to enter the sect. Who could have imagined that the Wenshen Sect would completely undercut them, choosing to nurture people from the mortal world rather than accept rogue cultivators of unimpeachable backgrounds?
The more the Wenshen Sect acted this way, the greater the pressure it placed on everyone else.
Especially after word spread that several of Shu Xin’s junior brothers and sisters were now traveling through the cultivation world under their real names and had gradually made names for themselves. When the various sects looked at their own disciples afterward, they found themselves increasingly dissatisfied.
If Shu Xin could reach the Wugou Realm, then surely the core disciples of their own sects could do the same.
They could not allow the Wenshen Sect to claim all the glory.
First Situ Jian, then Shu Xin—neither of them had anything to do with their sects anymore.
Thus, after several sects discussed the matter, they decided to open a secret realm they jointly controlled and send their outstanding disciples inside for proper trials. Anyone who managed to achieve the Wugou Realm and emerge would receive a substantial reward.
As one of the Dao Children of the Myriad Dao Sect, Qu Yougu was naturally granted special permission to leave the mountain gate and enter the trial together with his senior brothers and sisters.
Also selected were Xie Xianzhi, Rongyun, Chai Lingxin, Xiang Peiyao, and several others.
Once, they had all been mentioned in the same breath as Shu Xin and Situ Jian.
Now that those two had both reached the Wugou Realm, the invisible pressure weighing on everyone else naturally grew heavier.
Qu Yougu had been confined for three years, and at last he was able to leave.
He looked around and found that nearly everyone he knew was there.
When he raised his eyes, he saw Xie Xianzhi standing among the ranks of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
Qu Yougu stepped forward, intending to greet him.
But when Xie Xianzhi turned around and gave him a nod, Qu Yougu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the familiar face before him, yet felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
