“Jingzhi has taken the Blood Demon Ancestor as his master?” Shu Xin was somewhat shocked when she heard the Sword Spirit’s words. “Does he actually want to curse the Blood Demon Ancestor to death?”
【You have some nerve saying that.】 Every time, the Sword Spirit thought it had grown accustomed to Shu Xin’s way of speaking, yet every time, Shu Xin’s shamelessness still managed to shock it.
You’re the one who destroyed an entire sect and wiped out a whole family. How can you accuse Wen Jingzhi of wanting to curse the Blood Demon Ancestor to death?
At most, he’ll curse one master to death. You cursed an entire family, even an entire sect!
“There’s nothing wrong with me saying it. It’s simply the truth.” Shu Xin remained perfectly calm. “He and I are both blessed with tremendous fortune. Only those whose fortune is insufficient will be cursed to death by us. Look at Xu Guan’s master—he’s perfectly fine. Not only did he survive, he even advanced to the Mahayana stage.”
【That was only possible because an artifact spirit had to sacrifice itself.】 The Sword Spirit offered a small objection.
“Sigh, it seems you really do have a lot of grievances against me. Very well, then. This time, I won’t trouble you. I’ll deal with those Earthly Immortals myself.”
【Wait a moment. How can a mere Immaculate Realm cultivator like you possibly be a match for those wolves and tigers? I’d better do it.】 The Sword Spirit knew perfectly well that Shu Xin was deliberately manipulating it, but the hateful part was that it had no choice but to let itself be manipulated.
Fortunately, its previous sword master had never been like this.
The Sword Spirit felt that it had already made considerable progress.
“All right, I was only teasing you.” Shu Xin smiled. “It’s a good thing that Jingzhi is willing to join my plan. As for Hold On, don’t rush to take it back yet. In any case, he and I will meet up eventually. A little delay won’t matter. And if he happens to encounter any danger, it will be convenient for you to protect him.”
【He’s already the Blood Demon Sect’s Young Sect Master, second only to one and above everyone else. Besides, the Blood Demon Sect doesn’t have a Mahayana cultivator. With his cultivation at the late Immaculate Realm, he can withstand any threat.】 The Sword Spirit argued back.
“Open attacks are easy to guard against, but hidden ones are difficult. We should still wait. Besides, with Hold On over there, I’ll feel more at ease.” Shu Xin stroked the hilt of the sword. “That’s the decision for now. And I’m doing this for your sake, too. If some fool from the Blood Demon Sect tries to ambush Jingzhi, wouldn’t that give you a chance to show off? They’re all orthodox demonic cultivators, so killing them will also help you recover sooner.”
The Sword Spirit thought it over and found that there was some truth to her words. In the end, it could only reluctantly agree.
Recovering as soon as possible was the proper path.
Moreover, although Hold On was a half-body split from it and could not speak, it remained under its control. If anything truly went wrong, it could be summoned back at once. It would be better to place bets on both sides for now. Perhaps Wen Jingzhi’s side would kill even more demonic cultivators.
“The Blood Demon Sect, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, the Spirit-Parasitic Demon Sect, and the Longevity Dao Sect. All four of the cultivation world’s great sects have become involved. Can the other sects really continue pretending that nothing has happened?” Shu Xin smiled. “Sometimes, the butterfly effect can be terrifying.”
……
Following the Nine Heavens Dao Sect’s instructions, Jiang Gui disguised himself as a descendant of the Wen family from Wen Town and secretly left the sect.
To make his role more convincing, the valuable items on Jiang Gui’s person had all been removed.
Since he was supposedly a mortal coming to seek refuge, his cultivation could not be too high, nor could he carry too many valuable possessions. His Dao Nascent Soul cultivation had also been sealed down to the lowest level, the Qi Refining stage. At present, several strong mortals would be enough to injure him.
Xiang Zhu’s reminders to Jiang Gui had been so numerous that they were enough to make anyone’s ears go numb.
Even so, Jiang Gui listened obediently.
“This is a magical treasure that the Sect Master specifically found for you. Just keep it with you. When your life is truly in danger, it will protect you.” Xiang Zhu hung a strange pendant around Jiang Gui’s neck.
Jiang Gui did not dare ask too many questions and obediently wore it.
Seeing Jiang Gui’s bewildered and obedient appearance, Xiang Zhu felt somewhat dissatisfied. However, they truly could not find a better candidate at the moment.
Originally, they had only intended to have Jiang Gui sound out that Song Ping fellow. But before Jiang Gui had even set out, they received word that the Blood Demon Sect was also investigating matters related to Wen Jingshu.
Since Wen Jingshu was already dead, there had originally been very few people looking into her affairs. With everyone investigating at the same time, however, the Blood Demon Sect’s actions were immediately noticed.
This time, Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi’s hopes rose from three parts to five.
The Blood Demon Sect had always been unwilling to lift a finger unless there was profit to be gained. Since they were also investigating Wen Jingshu’s affairs, it was likely that this woman truly possessed the secret to extending the lives of the Earthly Immortals!
Therefore, after discussing the matter, Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi added a few more safeguards to Jiang Gui’s mission, all to ensure his safety and enable him to uncover more information.
The pendant looked strange, but it was actually one of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect’s treasured artifacts. Its greatest effect was to obscure all spells used for investigation or surveillance, allowing others to obtain only a vague result. Unless an Earthly Immortal personally came, no one could break through it.
Such a precious item should normally have been locked away in the treasury. If the situation had not been so urgent, they would never have taken it out.
With this treasure concealing his presence, even if that Song Ping possessed some secret method for probing Jiang Gui’s true identity, he could obtain only a vague impression. That would be enough to buy them time to extract information from him.
“Jiang Gui, this is all for the sake of the sect. As long as you accomplish this mission, you will become the Sect Master’s disciple. It won’t be inappropriate for you to call me Martial Uncle.” Xiang Zhu had never been this patient in his life. “Do you remember everything I told you earlier?”
“I remember, Martial Uncle.” Jiang Gui answered immediately. “I will give my life for the sect.”
“Go. We’re all waiting for your good news.” Xiang Zhu sent Jiang Gui off like an elder concerned for a junior.
Song Ping was currently living incognito in a village near the Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
He continued to maintain his persona, pretending to be an unknown rogue cultivator who knew nothing and only wished to live a peaceful life.
Shu Xin had only one requirement of him: he had to be patient enough and remain faithful to his persona. No matter who came, no matter what kind of cultivator they were, he only needed to do exactly as she had instructed.
Given Song Ping’s low level of strength, he naturally had no idea that the neighbors and friends he greeted every day had already been quietly replaced.
Cultivators from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect and the Blood Demon Sect were all concealed nearby, waiting for Song Ping and Jiang Gui to meet.
“Keep your eyes fixed on them. This is something the Ancestor and the Young Sect Master personally ordered. No matter what they say or do, we must report every single movement,” said an elder of the Blood Demon Sect to his fellow disciples. “What about the blood puppet we prepared earlier? Is it ready?”
“Rest assured, Elder. There are no problems at all. The Ancestor can descend into the blood puppet’s body at any time.” The so-called blood puppet was a special creation of the Blood Demon Sect.
Those who cultivated the Blood Demon Sect’s techniques and suffered qi deviation, losing their minds, were often used for this purpose. When thrown into another cultivator’s sea of blood and refined, they could become temporary vessels capable of briefly bearing the sea-of-blood master’s divine consciousness. Even from thousands of miles away, they could be controlled as easily as one’s own limbs.
This sort of puppet bore some resemblance to the techniques of the Yin Corpse Demon Sect. The only difference was that a blood puppet was disposable—once used, it was ruined.
This particular blood puppet had been fished out of the sea of blood possessed by the Blood Demon Ancestor after they received his approval.
The Blood Demon Ancestor could not possibly place complete faith in Wen Jingzhi’s words. What could be more certain than coming to hear the truth himself?
If he had not been worried that coming in person would draw the attention of the other Earthly Immortals, the Blood Demon Ancestor would never have needed to resort to such an outdated method.
Naturally, the information the Blood Demon Sect had gathered differed from that of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect only knew that the Blood Demon Sect had sent people to investigate news of Wen Jingshu and was continually tracking Song Ping’s whereabouts. They had no idea about what had happened in Wen Family Town.
The Blood Demon Sect, meanwhile, knew about Wen Family Town but did not know that Jiang Gui was an impostor. With a treasure on Jiang Gui that concealed his bloodline, the Blood Demon Sect could only confirm that he was not human and carried some degree of demonic blood.
That seemed to fit the evidence.
The information gap between the two sects had led each side to mistake the other’s contingency plan for the truth.
Moreover, there was no way the Blood Demon Sect and the Nine Heavens Dao Sect could sit down together and verify their information. Even if some news truly did get out, each side would only suspect that the other had released it as a smokescreen.
Thus, what appeared to be contact between Jiang Gui and Song Ping had already drawn the secret attention of two sects.
The Blood Demon Sect and the Nine Heavens Dao Sect alike were watching the two of them closely, waiting to see what they would do next.
Jiang Gui, for his part, dutifully played the role of a descendant of the Wen family. He cautiously went to Song Ping’s side and tearfully recounted his hardships.
“This jade pendant was left with the Wen family by my aunt many years ago. I left the family back then to seek a master and pursue cultivation, but when I returned, everything had changed.” Jiang Gui wept with great enthusiasm. “You… what is your relationship with my aunt? Why did my jade pendant lead me to you?”
Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi were eavesdropping on their conversation through a tracking mark.
“Jiang Gui is playing his part quite well,” Xinyunzi praised. “He really does have some talent. What a pity.”
Anything involving Patriarch Yuanzhou was no small matter. Even if everything went smoothly in the end, Jiang Gui would certainly not survive.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know anything. Friend, you’ve found the wrong person.” Song Ping naturally denied everything. “Are you trying to extort me? Let me tell you, I’m not someone you can push around.”
With that, Song Ping moved to throw Jiang Gui out.
Although the two of them had met before, they had never shared any real friendship. Who would have thought that now, having joined forces, they would be performing for others on a stage arranged by Shu Xin?
Even though they could not see where their audience was, they still played their parts with complete dedication.
“Elder…” A Blood Demon Sect disciple had barely begun to speak when his entire body exploded into a cloud of blood mist. At the same moment, the blood puppet, whose eyes had been tightly closed just moments earlier, opened them and stared fixedly at Song Ping and Jiang Gui.
The Blood Demon Sect elder beside it did not even glance at the disciple.
Foolish. The Ancestor could descend at any moment. Making a pointless sound at a time like this was simply asking to be killed by him.
“The jade pendant couldn’t have led me to the wrong person.” Jiang Gui grew agitated. “You must have some connection to my aunt, don’t you? Please, tell me where she is. She may be the only family I have left in this world.”
A trace of pity flashed across Song Ping’s face, but he still firmly forced Jiang Gui out.
“I won’t give up!” Jiang Gui shouted from outside the door. “I will uncover the truth!”
After that, Jiang Gui stayed there.
He went to knock on the door, but Song Ping ignored him completely.
The same thing happened on the third day.
…
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
The disciples of the Blood Demon Sect and the Nine Heavens Dao Sect were beginning to lose patience. If they could, they would have liked nothing more than to grab Song Ping by the throat and demand that he reveal the truth immediately.
But they did not dare. They could only endure.
Because the Ancestor and the elders were enduring as well.
Those who had cultivated for many years understood that a secret was a secret precisely because it was so difficult to obtain.
If Song Ping had immediately revealed everything, how could he possibly have survived until now?
The more cautious and fearful he appeared, the more convinced they became that he truly possessed some enormous secret.
“We need to think of something.” The Blood Demon Ancestor controlled the blood puppet as he addressed the elders of the Blood Demon Sect. “At most one month. I want to see results. Otherwise, you will become my next blood puppets.”
With that, the blood puppet completely turned into a skeleton, and the Blood Demon Ancestor vanished.
The elders of the Blood Demon Sect had no choice. In the end, they came up with a vicious plan.
They would have someone disguise himself as a demonic cultivator and attack Jiang Gui, forcing Song Ping to rescue him. Perhaps that would make Song Ping open his mouth.
If the ruse involving injury failed, they would try a beauty trap, a diversion, and so on.
If none of that worked, they could only take their own lives before the Blood Demon Ancestor descended again.
The cultivators of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect were clearly watching from nearby, but when they saw the demonic cultivator attack Jiang Gui, Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi still did not intervene.
They could guess where the demonic cultivator had come from, but they tacitly allowed it.
So long as Jiang Gui did not die, that was enough.
Otherwise, if this stalemate continued, who knew when they would ever learn the secret from Song Ping?
Fortunately, Song Ping was not a bad person after all.
When Jiang Gui was truly “seriously wounded” by the demonic cultivator, Song Ping still carried the barely breathing Jiang Gui back with him.
“You must stop looking for your aunt.” After saving Jiang Gui, Song Ping finally spoke. “You absolutely must not reveal your relationship with Wen Jingshu, either. Find some remote place to hide. Change your name and identity. Perhaps then you can still survive.”
“What do you mean?” Jiang Gui grew agitated. “What exactly do you know?”
“Your aunt is already dead. The reason your jade pendant was able to find me is that your aunt was my master. She rescued me from Busi Manor back then and treated me extremely well. If she had not fallen, I would not be here now.” Song Ping’s acting was no worse than Jiang Gui’s.
At that moment, he looked as though he had truly lost a master who had treated him with extraordinary kindness. His entire bearing seemed to sink into despondency.
To the cultivators observing from the shadows, such behavior was perfectly understandable.
Song Ping’s life story was complete and convincing.
He had originally been nothing more than a servant at Busi Manor. If Wen Jingshu had not taken notice of him, he would have died there long ago.
Wen Jingshu had indeed shown him an immense kindness, so it was only natural that the bond between master and disciple would be deep.
“Listen to me and leave as soon as possible.” A look of frustration and pain surfaced on Song Ping’s face, though he still appeared exceptionally resolute.
“Hold on.” Jiang Gui was impressed that this companion was so talented at both singing and acting, and he still had much to learn. At the same time, he urged himself on: he absolutely could not let himself be outdone.
Everyone had gathered around their lord for the sake of revenge. But when it came to revenge, having more people was not necessarily better. What mattered was how much each person could contribute.
Everyone fought for dignity, just as the Buddha fought for a stick of incense. He absolutely could not lose.
“I was an ordinary mortal to begin with. I only embarked on the path of cultivation by some strange twist of fate. Now I’m all alone. You said my aunt died, so tell me—how did she die? My life was worthless to begin with, and I have nothing left to fear.” Jiang Gui spoke with impassioned conviction. “If someone harmed my aunt, I’ll fight them to the death.”
“Your life isn’t worth mentioning at all.” Song Ping was silent for a while before sneering. “I don’t know much more than that. But before my master passed away, she once told me that if she ever died, I had to find a way to leave the sect. I concealed my identity and came all the way here. I never expected you to track me down.”
“Was it your sect that harmed my aunt?” Jiang Gui asked, seizing the opportunity.
Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi grew tense as well.
Jiang Gui’s question was somewhat rash, but they were eager to know the answer too.
“I don’t know. I’m only a minor disciple.” Song Ping did not give a definite answer. “But my master seemed to know she was going to die. I once asked her why her injuries recovered so quickly. An ordinary cultivator would have to lie in bed for months with injuries like hers, but my master would recover in half a day—and she didn’t even need to take any pills.”
“Do you know what my master told me? She said she would rather not have such incredible regenerative abilities. Then she wouldn’t have had to become a medicine human!” Song Ping gritted his teeth. “But she only said that while she was dazed and confused, so I don’t know whether it was true. What I do know is that my master absolutely did not want you to enter the Everlasting Dao Sect. You should run while you still can. Don’t stay here.”
Incredible regenerative abilities?
When the Blood Demon Ancestor and Xinyunzi heard those words, their minds raced through countless possibilities.
So Wen Jingshu had possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities? Then she really was useful to Earth Immortals!
It seemed Wen Jingzhi had been telling the truth. The Wen family truly were descendants of the Chun clan.
Could the Chun clan’s treasure—the treasure even Wuweizi coveted beyond measure—be hidden inside this young man?
The Blood Demon Ancestor immediately attempted to investigate Jiang Gui. But he was merely one of the ancestor’s incarnations now; how could he possibly see through Jiang Gui’s true condition? The fact that he could not uncover anything only made the Blood Demon Ancestor even more certain that the young man must possess a treasure.
Xinyunzi and Xiang Zhu were even more excited.
They had found it!
It seemed that Wen Jingshu really did possess a method capable of extending the lives of even Earth Immortals. They could return and discuss this properly with Patriarch Yuanzhou. Then they could prepare to drive the cultivators of the Spirit-Implanting Demon Sect out of their territory.
“How could our Wen family possess such powerful regenerative abilities? We’re clearly just ordinary people, with nothing more than a bit of spiritual aptitude.” Jiang Gui complained. “Are you deliberately trying to frighten me?”
“Nonsense. Every member of your family is born with a wood spiritual root.” Song Ping seemed to have been angered by this. After speaking, he realized that something was wrong and hurriedly added, “Look at you. Your body has already recovered considerably. Tomorrow, I’ll find a way to send you away. If I can keep you safe, I won’t have failed my master’s years of guidance and cultivation.”
“Born with wood spiritual roots, along with extraordinary regenerative abilities? I think I’ve seen something similar recorded in an ancient text.” Xinyunzi immediately seized on the key information and ordered several junior disciples from the Scripture Repository to search for relevant records.
The reply came only a few hours later.
“Descendants of the Chun clan?” Xiang Zhu had heard the possibility as well, and for a moment he was stunned. “Are you talking about the Chun tree—the one said to regard eight thousand years as spring and another eight thousand years as autumn? Isn’t that an ancient divine tree? It actually belongs to the demon race?”
“Correct. And it is one of the exceedingly rare races among the demons that can live as long as heaven and earth. Its numbers are incredibly scarce. It is said that the Chun clan’s treasure can repair any damage caused by spiritual energy—even Earth Immortals can make use of it,” someone from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect reported. “For that reason, the Chun clan concealed their whereabouts throughout antiquity. Later, spiritual energy grew thin, and the world could no longer give birth to new members of the Chun clan.”
Xinyunzi and Xiang Zhu’s expressions turned solemn.
They both understood how precious this was.
A treasure capable of repairing any damage caused by spiritual energy would naturally be able to heal the injuries of Earth Immortals as well.
After living for so many years, which Earth Immortal had not sacrificed some of their lifespan along the path of cultivation? If they could obtain the Chun clan’s treasure, even recovering the years they had already lost would allow the Earth Immortals to live for many more years.
So that was why! That was why!
“All nine Earth Immortals currently alive have completed possession at least once. And possession inevitably causes a loss of lifespan. If we can find the Chun clan’s treasure, our patriarch could live another three thousand years. How could any method of spirit implantation compare with that?” Xinyunzi laughed loudly, clapping his hands. “The heavens have not abandoned the Nine Heavens Dao Sect. Our patriarch can still be saved!”
“Then what about the treasure?” Xiang Zhu pressed.
“We don’t know. The ancient records contain no information about its whereabouts.” The elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect shook his head. “We don’t even know exactly what this treasure is.”
“Then Wuweizi must not have found the treasure. That is why he settled for taking Wen Jingshu as his disciple and forcibly raising her cultivation,” Xinyunzi replied. “If he had obtained the Chun clan’s treasure and could replenish the lifespan he lost through possession, he would have launched a full-scale attack against our sect by now, seeking to unify the cultivation world and pave the way for his ascension.”
Since Wen Jingshu was dead, the treasure had to still exist.
The only question was where they should look for it.
After all, this Jiang Gui was a fake.
“Senior Brother Sect Master, Jiang Gui absolutely cannot die,” Xiang Zhu said. “We have no idea where the true Chun clan treasure is, and now that Wen Jingshu is dead, finding it would be harder than searching for a needle in the ocean. But if Jiang Gui continues traveling under the identity of Wen Jingshu’s nephew, he may draw the real members of the Wen family out into the open. We could also use the opportunity to investigate the treasure’s whereabouts.”
Xinyunzi immediately understood the crucial point. “Exactly. When the false is taken for true and the true for false, this fake cannot be allowed to die if we want to lure out the real thing.”
By then, Jiang Gui and Song Ping had finished reciting the lines they had memorized. They exchanged a few perfunctory words before going their separate ways.
Shu Xin had only told them this much.
Everything else was beyond what their two characters were supposed to know.
Their task was simply to convey the message.
The unknown was not frightening. It was the imagination that truly killed.
At this point, the performance was complete.
Only after the Nine Heavens Dao Sect and the Blood Demon Sect believed that such a treasure of the Chun clan existed would they take the initiative to cause trouble for the Everlasting Dao Sect, hoping to uncover the Chun clan’s whereabouts from within it.
The true treasure had long since merged into Wen Jingzhi’s body.
