“A demonic cultivation sect?” Wen Jingzhi sensed that something was wrong.
“Of course it’s a demonic cultivation sect.” Shu Xin pointed at the records. “Look at these spiritual herbs. At first glance, do they seem like ordinary purchases? They’re not. This Azure Cloud Grass is also called Blood-Eating Grass, and demonic cultivators use it to aid their cultivation. And take a look at this Scarlet Sun Crystal. Although it has many uses, its most well-known purpose is to make Myriad Souls Banners.”
Shu Xin continued pointing out problem after problem in the account book.
“This item looks perfectly normal, but in fact, there’s a huge problem with it,” Shu Xin continued. “Every purchase price listed here differs from the market price. The larger the quantity of a spiritual herb, the more expensive it is, while rare medicinal herbs are actually listed at lower prices. That’s because demonic cultivators almost never grow spiritual flowers and herbs themselves. They rely on plunder, which is why the prices are so strange. And look at the pill purchases on this page. They’ve replaced every pill normally used by righteous cultivators with pills that demonic cultivators can use as well. It couldn’t be more obvious.”
“This is definitely the account book of a demonic cultivation sect. It’s just been disguised very well.” Shu Xin looked rather pleased with herself. “But that won’t fool me. I’ve been handling accounts for so many years, and I know the prices and uses of the spiritual herbs and medicines on the market like the back of my hand.”
Wen Jingzhi’s expression grew increasingly grave.
He turned to Shu Xin and said seriously, “This is an account book my subordinate stole from the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect.”
Shu Xin froze.
The Nine Heavens Daoist Sect?
Damn. This was serious.
Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi immediately went to find Xu Guan.
As one of the top sects, it was perfectly normal for the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect to have a few demonic cultivator spies planted within its ranks. But if those spies had already risen to the point where they could alter the accounts into something like this, then it meant that most of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect had already fallen.
Shu Xin had only served as an outer-sect steward for a hundred years, yet she could identify the problems in the account book.
With so many cultivators in the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect, could none of them have noticed?
Of course they had.
The only possibilities were that those who had recognized the problems had either joined in the corruption or been killed.
After hearing Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi’s explanation, Xu Guan immediately realized how terrifying the situation was.
Yi Renjie and the others had now become capable of handling matters on their own. Each of them was in charge of a different aspect of the Asking Gods Sect.
Though the Asking Gods Sect was small, it now possessed every necessary department.
They had recruited several hundred mortal disciples, then stopped recruiting. The disciples were assigned to different departments according to their personalities and aptitude, and were taught to cultivate.
Yi Renjie, for example, oversaw the Punishment Hall. Cao Ru was in charge of matters related to formations. Yuan Dawei had taken the initiative to handle diplomacy and dealings with other sects. Qi Feiyang was responsible for bounties and the issuing of missions. Meng Wenrui and Li Qinghe oversaw the Martial Arts Hall and regular instruction. As for the most important matter—finances—it was all entrusted to Shu Xin.
Xu Guan had also been deliberately training his other disciples.
They couldn’t rely on Shu Xin for everything.
So whenever important matters were discussed, all of them came to listen.
At first, however, they had been somewhat uncomfortable upon learning that Situ Jian was Wen Jingzhi, especially since he and Shu Xin had such a close relationship.
They had always regarded Wen Jingzhi as the heartless man who had abandoned Shu Xin.
But Wen Jingzhi had been called a little fox by the Sword Spirit for good reason. He had merely “inadvertently” revealed some details about his hatred and Shu Xin’s plans. Before he could even begin lamenting his own circumstances, several of the disciples were already sobbing uncontrollably and had completely taken Wen Jingzhi’s side.
How difficult it had been for him. Boo-hoo-hoo.
They had spent many years traveling and gaining experience outside, so they knew exactly how much one had to sacrifice to achieve revenge.
While wandering the outside world, they had heard all sorts of rumors spread by the demonic cultivators about Xu Guan and Shu Xin. They had been worried and frightened, yet had not dared to return, fearing that they would only hold their masters back. They had even considered what they would do if their master and Eldest Senior Sister truly met with disaster, and had drawn up countless revenge plans of their own. That was why they understood so well what it took to seek revenge against such powerful sects.
Wen Jingzhi had managed to accomplish all this and even escape from the Longevity Daoist Sect. He was practically an idol to them!
They accepted Wen Jingzhi almost immediately. They even felt that they should learn from him carefully. If trouble arose in the future, they could imitate his methods of revenge.
Xu Guan was speechless.
Wasn’t that basically cursing him?
But forget it. At least it represented his disciples’ filial devotion, even if they were showing it in a rather strange way.
“What do you think happened to the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect?” Xu Guan swept his gaze over the other disciples and asked.
“This disciple believes that the fact that the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect’s account book has become like this means that at least half of the sect’s core forces have already been taken over by demonic cultivators,” Yi Renjie said first. “Keeping false accounts is easy, but they didn’t even bother changing such obvious records. That means they have no fear of being exposed. Without someone possessing absolute power within the sect backing them, they couldn’t have done this.”
“That’s right, Master. Ordinary sects usually have defensive formations, and when those formations are set up, they’re also equipped to detect demonic qi. If demonic cultivators want to infiltrate a sect, they have to conceal all their demonic qi. Otherwise, the formations will immediately sound an alarm when they’re discovered.” Cao Ru followed up. “Yet no trace of demonic cultivators has been found in the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. Either their formation has been tampered with, or they know exactly what’s going on.”
“But… the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect has an Earth Immortal guarding it,” Qi Feiyang and Yuan Dawei said, unable to imagine such a possibility.
“What if that Earth Immortal tacitly approved of it?” Wen Jingzhi said coolly. “Wuweizi of the Longevity Daoist Sect, Venerable Lezheng of the Myriad Daoist Sect, the Carefree Wanderer of the Carefree Daoist Sect, Patriarch Yuanzhou of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect, and Old Daoist Zhixing of the Truth-Seeking Daoist Sect—those five are the Earth Immortals of the Daoist sects. Their greatest shared trait is that they have all lived for more than ten thousand years.”
Besides them, there were also the Blood Demon Ancestor of the Blood Demon Sect, the White Bone Demon Venerable of the Corpse Yin Daoist Sect, the Heaven-Crippled Ancestor of the Fiend Demon Sect, and the Ruthless Goddess of the Joyous Union Demon Sect. They were the Earth Immortals among the demonic cultivators.
These nine people formed the unchanging core of the entire cultivation world. They were the heavens of this world.
The other Daoist sects and demonic factions possessed, at most, one or two Mahayana cultivators.
“At present, we can’t determine which demonic sect has infiltrated the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. But whichever one it is, it must have received the approval of Patriarch Yuanzhou,” Wen Jingzhi said bluntly. “They’ve already lived for more than ten thousand years, and their lifespans are nearly exhausted. Now, taking advantage of the turmoil in the cultivation world, they want to extend their lives. All the ordinary methods that could be used are gone. If they wish to continue living, they can only turn to the methods of demonic cultivation. In that case, forming an alliance with demonic cultivators is entirely natural.”
The disciples and elders of the entire Nine Heavens Daoist Sect might even have been offered to a demonic cultivation sect as a gift.
Or perhaps every disciple and elder of the entire Dao Sect would themselves become a part of Patriarch Bitezou.
“Jingzhi is right.” Shu Xin nodded in agreement. “Something this serious has happened, yet Patriarch Yuanzhou still hasn’t acted. That can only mean he knew about it himself. Unless his condition has deteriorated to the point where he can no longer act and is on the verge of death. But if that were truly the case, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect wouldn’t have needed to wait for the demonic cultivation sects to invade. Do they really think the Land Immortals of the Longevity Dao Sect and the Myriad Dao Sect are useless?”
The people who struck their allies the hardest were often their own.
Yi Renjie and the others fell silent.
They simply couldn’t imagine that there could be an ancestor in this world who would sell his entire sect to demonic cultivators.
“This matter could be either big or small.” Xu Guan was silent for a moment before speaking. “As far as our God-Seeking Sect is concerned, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect has nothing to do with us. Even if they were wiped out, it wouldn’t affect us much. But in the cultivation world, one disturbance can affect everything. If the Nine Heavens Dao Sect is truly taken over by demonic cultivators, then the balance of power will shift. The so-called righteous sects of the cultivation world may be disgusting, but at least they have some shame and won’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. If the demonic cultivation sects gain the upper hand, I’m afraid…”
The righteous sects might be disgusting, but it depended on who they were being compared to.
Compared with those demonic cultivators, they really were righteous sects.
“I’m planning to infiltrate the Nine Heavens Dao Sect with Jingzhi and take a good look around.” Shu Xin had already thought of a way to deal with the situation. “Besides, if the Nine Heavens Dao Sect really has been infiltrated by demonic cultivators, it would actually be a good thing for me.”
The Sword Spirit was already howling with excitement.
[Really? Really? All those powerful demonic cultivators have gathered together and are just waiting for me to cut them down? Something this wonderful is actually happening to me?]
The Sword Spirit was desperate to return to its peak. The Land Immortals outside imagined it to be omnipotent and were terrified of its reappearance. Unfortunately, they didn’t know that it was still bound by those seals. Only enough flesh, blood, and karmic debt from demonic cultivators could wash away the stains on its blade and allow it to fully recover.
But ordinary demonic cultivators were no longer useful to the Sword Spirit. It needed to kill more powerful cultivators.
Yet the more powerful a cultivator was, the less likely they were to travel around openly.
Especially now, when even demonic cultivators of the Wugou Realm had stopped leaving their homes!
Since they refused to come out, and the Sword Spirit lacked the ability to storm their lairs, it could only wait for them to emerge. The process was painfully slow.
Now that it had heard the demonic cultivators had voluntarily gathered in one sect and were waiting there for it to kill them, the Sword Spirit was practically stunned by the good news.
It had to go!
If Shu Xin refused, it would throw a tantrum until she agreed.
“This is far too dangerous, Eldest Senior Sister!” Yi Renjie immediately objected. “Eldest Senior Sister, that place may have already become a demonic cultivator stronghold, and they definitely know who you are. If something goes wrong, Master won’t have time to come rescue you. Master can’t defeat a Land Immortal!”
“Ahem.” Xu Guan immediately cut his disciple off.
Though he was only at the Mahayana stage, his disciple had been far too blunt.
There was no respect for his master at all!
“I know you’re worried about me, but I really am the only one who can do this.” Shu Xin smiled. “I can disguise myself as a demonic cultivator so naturally that no one will suspect me. You don’t need to worry. Besides, Jingzhi will be going with me. He also has subordinates trapped inside the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, so he needs to go help them.”
If Wen Jingzhi truly didn’t care about the lives of his subordinates, who would still be willing to work for him?
“Still, we should think this through carefully.” Xu Guan considered the matter. “Do you have any good ideas?”
“I suppose I do.” Shu Xin thought for a moment. “Master doesn’t need to worry about us. Even if we can’t resolve the matter at the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, escaping shouldn’t be difficult. But if we allow the Nine Heavens Dao Sect to continue developing unchecked, the trouble it causes in the future will only grow. Master can also slowly let the other sects know what’s happening. I doubt the other Dao Sects will simply sit by and do nothing.”
Xu Guan nodded.
Now that their master and Eldest Senior Sister had made up their minds, the other disciples had no choice but to say no more.
Once they had decided, they acted immediately.
Wen Jingzhi and Shu Xin quickly disguised themselves.
They didn’t pretend to be demonic cultivators. Instead, they posed as an ill-fated demonic-cultivator couple—an identity Wen Jingzhi had suggested—and went to the Nine Heavens Dao Sect to seek refuge with their friend, Jiang Gui.
Jiang Gui was the most important spy Wen Jingzhi had planted inside the Nine Heavens Dao Sect. He was also responsible for maintaining contact with the other spies within the sect and was one of Wen Jingzhi’s most capable subordinates.
They acted swiftly. They finalized the plan on the first day and set out the very next.
“You seem rather happy. Aren’t you worried about your subordinate?” Shu Xin asked when she noticed how good Wen Jingzhi’s mood seemed to be.
“The last time I fought alongside Sister Shu was more than a hundred years ago.” Wen Jingzhi smiled. “As for Jiang Gui, I’m not particularly worried about him. He has always been meticulous and reliable. He was the one who stole the account books, after all. Besides, he has ways of protecting himself. If necessary, he can escape at a critical moment. He may need a long time to recover afterward, but he’ll survive.”
“Time really does fly.” Hearing this, Shu Xin couldn’t help sighing as well. “More than a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.”
Who could have imagined that the two of them, once nothing more than unlucky souls hunted by demonic cultivators from every direction, would one day become great experts capable of standing on their own?
They had once thought revenge was impossible, yet they had already accomplished more than half of it.
The affairs of this world had always been full of unpredictable changes.
At the place where they were undergoing training.
Qu Yougu’s thoughts were heavy.
The other senior brothers and sisters from the Myriad Dao Sect had long since grown used to seeing him in this state.
Their junior brother had long since lost the spirited confidence he once possessed. Moreover, he had only just been released under the sect leader’s special pardon, so it was only natural that he was in a poor mood.
The several senior disciples exchanged glances, all quite satisfied with Qu Yougu’s current condition.
They knew that the sect intended to devote considerable resources to cultivating them. If they performed well, they might even be taken as disciples by Venerable Lezheng. Once they caught the eye of that Land Immortal, they could truly rise to prominence.
Qu Yougu had originally been the outstanding Dao Child of his generation and a formidable competitor.
But judging from his current state, it seemed unlikely that he would ever become a cultivator of the Wugou Realm.
Little did they know that Qu Yougu was not troubled by his own situation at all.
He was thinking about what Xie Xianzhi had said when she came to find him three years ago.
“I feel like my master and the others have changed somehow.”
“But sometimes, they’re still themselves.”
“Do you have any Mirror-Gleam Divine Water here?”
…
Those words echoed through Qu Yougu’s mind again and again.
He had dealt with parasitic demonic cultivators before, so he understood their methods very well.
If someone occasionally began acting unlike themselves without realizing it, then there was a very high chance that they had been possessed by a parasitic demonic cultivator.
This parasitic state would slowly change a person until every trace of their consciousness had been transformed into that of someone else.
In the end, they would completely lose their sense of self and believe that they themselves were the Spirit-Parasitic Demon Cultivator who had taken them over. In reality, they were nothing more than a refined clone.
Parasitism and body possession were still very different things.
But to ordinary cultivators, the distinction was not all that meaningful.
If not for what Xie Xianzhi had told him three years ago, Qu Yougu might have thought he had simply been mistaken. But now that he connected all the pieces, how could he continue deceiving himself and pretend that nothing had happened?
Qu Yougu wanted to speak. He wanted to tell them everything.
But when he raised his head and looked at the cultivators around him, he could not help wondering how many schemes and plots were concealed beneath their gentle faces.
Were they really normal?
Qu Yougu was at a complete loss.
It was as if he had fallen into some bizarre situation.
Everyone around him was clearly his fellow cultivator, yet he could not help feeling that they were all his enemies.
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
“Steward, please, you have to help us. My wife and I are both good friends of Jiang Gui. We were even childhood sweethearts from the same village.” Wen Jingzhi humbly offered a few spirit stones. “We only want to see him.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but our sect has encountered some problems recently, and no one is allowed to leave. I know Fellow Daoist Jiang Gui as well. The elders are very fond of him, and I hear that he’s about to be accepted as the personal disciple of a Grotto-Heaven realm elder. I’d certainly be willing to do you this favor, but the situation really doesn’t allow it right now.”
The cultivator eyed the spirit stones Wen Jingzhi had offered, clearly tempted.
Under ordinary circumstances, he would have eagerly taken on such a pleasant task.
But the Nine Heavens Dao Sect was currently under lockdown. All inner disciples and elders were forbidden from leaving without good reason.
Even the sect’s most outstanding disciple of this generation, Xie Xianzhi, had needed to take a large group of people with him when he left to participate in that secret-realm trial.
“Then just help us pass along a message and let Fellow Daoist Jiang know that we’re here. Or, or we can wait nearby. When he’s allowed to leave, we’ll come back and see him then.” Wen Jingzhi still refused to give up.
Shu Xin also chimed in from the side. “That’s right, Fellow Daoist. Please help us. We truly had no other choice. There’s killing and looting everywhere outside, and the two of us only managed to reach this place after narrowly escaping death countless times. Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life. If you really can’t help us, could you at least let us stay here and do some work? As long as we have a place to stay and can wait for Fellow Daoist Jiang Gui to come out, that will be enough.”
“That’s right, that’s right.” Wen Jingzhi swiftly stuffed the spirit stones into the cultivator’s arms.
“Then… all right. For the sake of Fellow Daoist Jiang Gui, I’m willing to help you,” the cultivator said reluctantly. “But let me make this clear first: you’ll only be doing odd jobs here. You won’t be official servants. Even the servant positions here require considerable connections to obtain. If you want to become true servant disciples, you’ll have to wait until Fellow Daoist Jiang Gui comes out and vouches for you. I don’t have that kind of authority.”
“Of course, of course.”
“All right, follow me.”
Only then did Wen Jingzhi and Shu Xin follow him.
[Hiss… This overwhelming demonic aura—there’s no mistaking it. There must be at least dozens of demon cultivators here.] The Sword Spirit was practically reveling in it. [And the defensive formations here have been weakened considerably as well. Wow, this place is practically the headquarters of the Spirit-Parasitic Demon Cultivators. Could they have moved the entire sect here?]
The Sword Spirit surveyed the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, inside and out, and could not help clicking its tongue in amazement.
[These modern cultivators really know how to have fun. Demon cultivators can actually run wild in the headquarters of a Daoist sect now.]
In the past, how could anything like this have been possible?
The Sword Spirit could see everything clearly.
Within the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, at least a third of the cultivators above the Grotto-Heaven realm had been parasitized!
When they heard the Sword Spirit’s words, the expressions of Wen Jingzhi and Shu Xin darkened further.
Since even the Sword Spirit had said that, it seemed the Nine Heavens Dao Sect truly was in dire straits.
“Xie Xianzhi left to gain experience. Perhaps he managed to escape this disaster.” Shu Xin sighed, though she knew the possibility was actually quite slim.
That was simply how the cultivation world worked.
The weak were prey to the strong.
When the time came, everyone had to make way for the Earthly Immortals.
Wen Jingzhi remained silent for a long while before saying, “The Nine Heavens Dao Sect could not have become what it is today overnight. For a Spirit-Parasitic Demon Cultivator to parasitize a cultivator, they generally need three to five years—or even longer—unless that person has suffered some major upheaval. To complete the parasitism, they need at least fifty years.”
Only if a cultivator experienced tremendous emotional upheaval in a short period, leaving their state of mind unstable, and there was also a significant gap in cultivation between them, could the invasion proceed more quickly.
But the higher a cultivator’s cultivation, the longer it would take to parasitize them.
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect had so many powerful cultivators. To parasitize them without being discovered would require an enormous investment of time and effort.
Moreover, how could Patriarch Yuanzhou have failed to notice something was wrong after all these years?
That was absolutely impossible.
An Earthly Immortal’s control over an entire sect was beyond imagination.
Otherwise, Wen Jingzhi would not have concealed her identity in the Longevity Dao Sect for so many years, all to avoid being discovered by an Earthly Immortal.
So when all was said and done, there was only one possible explanation: Patriarch Yuanzhou had given up on nurturing the Nine Heavens Dao Sect and instead chosen to cooperate with the Spirit-Parasitic Demon Sect.
The most powerful cultivators in the Spirit-Parasitic Demon Sect were only at the Mahayana stage. How could they possibly stand against Patriarch Yuanzhou?
And yet the Nine Heavens Dao Sect had still become what it was.
If the two sides had not colluded with each other, Wen Jingzhi would never have believed it.
Furthermore, there had always been something wrong with the way the Nine Heavens Dao Sect cultivated Xie Xianzhi.
Other cultivators who were seriously nurtured by their sects—such as Qu Yougu, who had made a name for himself under the protection of the Myriad Dao Sect, and Long Ling of the Longevity Dao Sect, who had gained experience through major events like Master Yushan’s tribulation and the division of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect—had all been given opportunities to temper themselves. Xiang Peiyao and Chai Lingxin each had their own paths of experience as well.
But Xie Xianzhi alone had practically been raised by the Nine Heavens Dao Sect into someone ignorant of the ways of the world. Even the place where he had lived since childhood had been deliberately constructed by the sect.
Even after Xie Xianzhi had achieved a certain level of cultivation, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect still did not give him any further opportunities to gain experience.
That was unreasonable.
A sect needed talented people who could shoulder responsibility, not mere combatants. Yet they had deliberately raised Xie Xianzhi in the direction of becoming a weapon.
There was clearly something wrong with that.
However, back when Wen Jingzhi had still been Situ Jian, it had been impossible for her to disparage his sect in front of Xie Xianzhi. She could only keep silent.
Now that the Nine Heavens Dao Sect could barely protect itself, how could they resist the temptation to sink their teeth into a plump morsel like Xie Xianzhi?
