Once the truth had been established, the power these colossal sects could bring to bear was truly formidable.
Jiang Gui and Song Ping continued their tug-of-war, one pretending that he wanted to keep extracting information, the other pretending that he had nothing more to say.
As long as they maintained this state of affairs, it would be enough to preserve peace for several years, even several decades.
Cultivators, after all, lived long enough to develop patience.
But Xinyunzi of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect and the Blood Demon Ancestor of the Blood Demon Sect gradually withdrew from the scene.
They had already obtained the most crucial information from Song Ping. There was no need for them to personally concern themselves with the minor details. Moreover, given their understanding of Wuweizi, they could guess that this so-called Song Ping probably did not know the core secret either. The fragmentary information he possessed was likely only because his cultivation was too low for him to come into contact with the true secret—and that was precisely why he had been able to remain unharmed.
Of course, Song Ping still needed to be kept under observation.
The Blood Demon Ancestor summoned his newly acquired disciple, along with several capable members of the Blood Demon Sect.
Although Yin Rushi’s cultivation was inferior to theirs, he had proven himself competent enough, so he was included as well.
Naturally, he felt somewhat awkward when he saw Wen Jingzhi among them.
The Blood Demon Sect had a habit of wearing bright-red ritual robes, and Wen Jingzhi was no exception.
Wen Jingzhi had originally possessed a cool, refined appearance. While he had been in the Longevity Dao, he usually wore pale colors, giving him an otherworldly air, as though he stood apart from all worldly affairs. Yet after changing into the Blood Demon Sect’s robes, he somehow suited them surprisingly well.
Quite a few people in the demonic sects were like that. They looked gentle and harmless, but when they struck, they were each more ruthless than the last. Even the Blood Demon Ancestor appeared, on the surface, to be no different from a schoolteacher. He smiled at everyone he met, and there was no way to tell that he was a fiend who killed without blinking.
“Greetings, Young Sect Master.” Yin Rushi could only cup his hands and bow to Wen Jingzhi, not daring to act presumptuously.
Ever since Wen Jingzhi had become the Young Sect Master, quite a few loyal subordinates had spoken up on Yin Rushi’s behalf.
Many of them believed that, given Yin Rushi’s abilities and contributions, he ought to have been the one to take the position of Young Sect Master.
But Yin Rushi had only ever given them one response:
“If you really think so, then go say it to the Ancestor’s face.”
And so, all those voices disappeared.
Who would dare?
Yin Rushi was not foolish enough to let himself be used as someone else’s weapon.
The Blood Demon Sect was naturally extremely unaccustomed to having a Young Sect Master parachuted in from outside like Wen Jingzhi. There were also plenty of people plotting to stir up trouble.
If they truly had the ability to bring Wen Jingzhi down, Yin Rushi would be more than happy to see it happen. If they lacked the ability, then Yin Rushi would be equally happy to sit back and watch them throw their lives away.
“Greetings, Junior Brother Yin,” Wen Jingzhi said with a smile.
Judging from his manner of dealing with people, he really did seem to be the Blood Demon Ancestor’s disciple!
“Young Sect Master, you are too polite. This junior would not dare,” Junior Brother Yin said humbly. He was, after all, a realm below Wen Jingzhi in cultivation, so it was better to be honest and keep a low profile.
The Blood Demon Ancestor swept his gaze across the gathered crowd, looking merely amused.
“I have obtained definite information. Wuweizi of the Longevity Dao Sect has been searching all these years for the Chun Clan’s secret treasure in order to prolong his life.” The Blood Demon Ancestor revealed the secret in a light tone, completely unconcerned with what those below might think. “By my reckoning, he is indeed nearing the end of his life.”
Several Blood Demon Sect cultivators exchanged glances, unable to understand why the Ancestor was telling them this. What ability did they have to participate in a conflict between Earthly Immortals?
To get involved at a time like this was simply courting death!
“Good disciple, you were once a member of the Longevity Dao Sect. What are your thoughts?” the Blood Demon Ancestor asked Wen Jingzhi, his tone unusually mild.
Everyone turned to look at Wen Jingzhi as well.
Although the Ancestor had accepted him as a disciple, the demonic path had never placed much value on sentiment. Disciples killing their masters and masters killing their disciples were practically honored traditions. Thus, everyone was wondering whether Wen Jingzhi’s usefulness would come to an end once the Ancestor had dealt with the Longevity Dao Sect.
“Allow this disciple to explain, Master. In my opinion, the Longevity Dao Sect may appear prosperous, but in truth it is like oil boiling beneath a blazing fire,” Wen Jingzhi said unhurriedly. “Now that the sect has only four positions remaining among the Nine Sons of Longevity, the various great clans are fighting tooth and nail for them, even resorting to covert attacks against one another. The clan disciples within the sect are all fearful and unsettled. Under such circumstances, if the Longevity Dao Sect wishes to divert the internal conflict, then either Wuweizi must personally suppress it, or the Longevity Dao Sect must launch an assault on another sect and redirect the conflict outward. Based on my understanding of the Longevity Dao Sect, the latter is far more likely.”
However, the other sects were not fools. After Master Yushan reached the Mahayana stage, they had already begun to grow wary of the Longevity Dao Sect. Otherwise, when Xu Guan of the Inquiry God Sect attempted to break through to the Mahayana stage, the other sects would not have secretly lent him their aid.
What everyone wanted was nothing more than to support the Inquiry God Sect in dealing with the Longevity Dao Sect.
“Oh?” The Blood Demon Ancestor smiled. “It seems, disciple, that you understand the Longevity Dao Sect quite thoroughly.”
“Wuweizi has searched for the Chun Clan’s secret treasure for so many years without finding it. His next step will either be to seek another method of extending his lifespan or to expand the search and continue looking. If I were him, the best course would be to swallow up a sect first, obtain sufficient spiritual energy, and then assign more people to search for what I want. That way, he could accomplish both goals without delay.” Wen Jingzhi continued speaking.
No one in the world knew what the Chun Clan’s secret treasure truly was—not even Shu Xin or Wen Jingzhi. Therefore, it could naturally be anything at all.
A falsehood had to be fabricated from beginning to end.
Once everyone felt that the secret treasure ought to appear, it would naturally appear.
“Then what do you think our Blood Demon Sect should do?” the Blood Demon Ancestor asked again.
“This disciple believes that we should simply wait for our prey to come to us,” Wen Jingzhi replied respectfully. “Alternatively, we could spread the news and wait for the various sects to turn on one another. Once the dust settles, with Master’s abilities, you will certainly be able to bring the other sects under your control. At that point, whether it is the secret treasure or anything else, everything will be in Master’s hands.”
“Hahahaha!” The Blood Demon Ancestor threw back his head and laughed. “As expected of my disciple—you think just as I do. Then guess who I intend to strike first.”
“It can only be the Nine Heavens Dao Sect,” Wen Jingzhi answered without hesitation.
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s laughter faded. He looked at Wen Jingzhi with an unreadable expression.
“My disciple seems to understand his master rather well.”
The killing intent around him appeared to swell in an instant.
Qieman, nestled in Wen Jingzhi’s hair, prepared to support him at any moment.
Upon hearing the change in the Blood Demon Ancestor’s tone, Yin Rushi and the others immediately dropped to their knees.
The Blood Demon Ancestor had a strange temperament. No one knew what careless remark might provoke him into killing. Therefore, everyone had long since developed the habit of kneeling at once to beg forgiveness whenever his tone changed. At the very least, it increased their chances of surviving.
“This disciple has always respected his master,” Wen Jingzhi replied, cupping his hands. “It is my honor to help Master resolve your problems.”
Everyone was so frightened that they hardly dared to breathe, let alone make any unnecessary movements, for fear of attracting the Blood Demon Ancestor’s attention.
“Haha, not bad. From here on, you will have full authority over how to deal with the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. I’ll be waiting for good news from you. All of you will obey the Young Sect Master’s orders, understood? Otherwise, don’t blame me for showing no mercy,” the Blood Demon Ancestor threatened.
“Yes,” everyone answered in unison.
“Thank you, Master.” Wen Jingzhi cupped his hands.
Meanwhile.
[I have to say, the two of you are truly skilled at dealing with these mighty experts,] the Sword Spirit said sincerely. [You can completely get a hold of their weaknesses.]
There was no need to mention Shu Xin, but even Wen Jingzhi had proven surprisingly adept at handling the Blood Demon Ancestor.
“Idiots cannot cultivate to the level of terrestrial immortals. As for why intelligent people are intelligent, it’s because they can make reason override emotion and will always choose the option most beneficial to them.” After hearing the Sword Spirit’s account, Shu Xin did not find it strange at all. “As it happens, Jingzhi and I are both intelligent people, which is why we can dance on the edge of a blade. But if we act together with an idiot, there’s nothing we can do. I simply can’t imagine what kind of foolish thing an idiot might do.”
[The Blood Demon Sect is definitely going to make a move against the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. If you and Wen Jingzhi work together from within and without, the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect is finished.] The Sword Spirit could not make sense of all the twists and turns involved, so it simply stopped worrying about them. It was more concerned with whether it could successfully consume its prey.
“That’s easy.” Shu Xin smiled. “First, I’ll go find Xiang Zhu, then ask to see Sect Master Xinyun. If neither of them is there, they’re probably reporting to Patriarch Yuanzhou.”
[What should we do, then?] the Sword Spirit asked curiously.
“Obviously, prepare to kill.” Shu Xin shrugged. “To say nothing of anything else, there’s no problem with killing a third of the spirit-possessed demonic cultivators hiding here.”
[Great!] The Sword Spirit also felt that working up an appetite before the feast was a good idea.
Shu Xin immediately went to look for Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi.
As expected, she found neither of them.
At that moment, Xiang Zhu and Xinyunzi were telling Patriarch Yuanzhou everything they had discovered, sparing no details.
Xiang Zhu in particular was only now able to meet Patriarch Yuanzhou privately by following his senior brother, Xinyunzi.
In the past, even elders at the Immaculate Realm like them could only kneel below in a group. Being able to hear a few words of instruction from the Patriarch was already considered fortunate.
Xiang Zhu usually prided himself on being a sword cultivator with unparalleled combat strength among those of the same realm, and had always been extremely confident in his abilities. But now, kneeling before Patriarch Yuanzhou, he finally realized just how vast the gap between them truly was.
The only thing that made Xiang Zhu uncomfortable was the group of Immaculate Realm cultivators seated beneath the Patriarch. They had all opened their eyes and were staring at him and Xinyunzi, making Xiang Zhu’s skin crawl.
“…That is the situation. Patriarch, Wuweizi extended his lifespan by borrowing the flesh and vital essence of descendants of the Chun Clan. As for the Chun Clan’s secret treasure, it has yet to be found. There may still be scattered members of the Chun Clan living outside.” Xinyunzi struggled to keep his excitement under control. “The Longevity Daoist Sect must have many clues waiting for us to uncover. Patriarch, once we obtain the Chun Clan’s secret treasure, you won’t need to use the spirit-possession method anymore!”
Xuan Wu was naturally not present.
Whenever the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect was plotting something, Patriarch Yuanzhou never allowed him to come near.
After hearing Xinyunzi out, Patriarch Yuanzhou nodded slightly.
“I have heard of the Chun Clan, but my own investigations yielded nothing,” Patriarch Yuanzhou replied. “This matter is worth pursuing. You may go search for it. However, you must not casually abandon the spirit-possession method.”
As far as Patriarch Yuanzhou was concerned, there was no telling when they would find the secret treasure, while he had already mastered most of the spirit-possession method. How could he give up halfway?
Of course, if they found the treasure within sixty years, he could abandon the spirit-possession method entirely.
“This disciple will investigate thoroughly,” Xinyunzi hurriedly replied. “However, most of the sect’s disciples, apart from the core elders, have been possessed. I’m worried that a large-scale investigation will inevitably expose our movements. There are simply too many spirit-possessed demonic cultivators.”
The condition of Xuan Wu’s deal with Patriarch Yuanzhou was that spirit-possessed demonic cultivators would possess the cultivators of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect, thereby ensuring the Patriarch’s safety.
After all, once Patriarch Yuanzhou truly survived through the spirit-possession method, he could be considered a member of the Spirit Possession Demon Sect. To prevent other Daoist sects from “eliminating demons in the name of justice,” the best solution was to turn all the cultivators of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect into demonic cultivators as well, allowing them to better protect him.
But now that they had a better option, perhaps the spirit-possessed demonic cultivators’ arrogance needed to be curbed.
“They may be suppressed to an appropriate degree,” Patriarch Yuanzhou finally agreed. “But do not go too far, or you may arouse suspicion for no reason.”
“Yes, Patriarch. Rest assured, this disciple will only eliminate some of the more brazen demonic cultivators first.” With the Patriarch’s approval, Xinyunzi was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.
As long as the Patriarch agreed, he would have no qualms about taking action.
“Very well.” Patriarch Yuanzhou gave his consent.
Suppressing the arrogance of the spirit-possessed demonic cultivators was not necessarily a bad thing.
Before Shu Xin could wait for Xiang Zhu to return, she received a message from him urging her to hurry up and kill the spirit-possessed demonic cultivators. So long as she was not discovered, she could act as she pleased.
“He really moves fast.” Shu Xin raised her eyebrows slightly and tapped the scabbard of Deng Deng. “Let’s go. Time to get to work. You earn the demonic cultivators’ flesh and blood, and I earn spirit stones. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
[You got it.] The Sword Spirit agreed readily.
…
“Even with the spirit-possession method, the most important thing is to first choose someone whose will seems weak…” In a certain cave abode, a spirit-possessed demonic cultivator was sharing his experience with another fellow disciple. “Daoist disciples in particular focus only on cultivation and never temper their minds. As long as we set a trap beforehand, they won’t be on their guard against us.”
“I’m deeply grateful for your instruction, Senior Brother. Please, continue… Senior Brother? Senior Brother?”
The demonic cultivator calling out to him saw that the man before him had suddenly stopped speaking. In the next instant, the senior brother’s flesh and blood vanished without a trace. When the wind blew, only a pristine white skeleton remained.
His eyes widened in terror. Realizing that something was wrong, he tried to escape, but excruciating pain swept over him, and everything before his eyes went black.
[This demonic cultivator is way too fat. He’s practically all meat,] the Sword Spirit complained.
“Indeed. Cultivators usually don’t gain weight no matter how much they eat. It’s quite impressive that he managed to become this fat.” Shu Xin nodded. Looking at the two fallen demonic cultivators, she waved a hand and hid their remains in an unused storage pouch. She would take them all to Xiang Zhu later in exchange for spirit stones.
[It’s just that their cultivation is a little too low.] The Sword Spirit appraised them and felt that they were still not satisfying enough. They were nothing but insignificant minnows.
“The ones with higher cultivation are all hiding,” Shu Xin said helplessly. She had not expected these demonic cultivators to be so cautious. Unless she broke into their cave abodes and killed them outright, she could only pick off stragglers.
“What are we supposed to do? All of these together wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between our teeth.” The Sword Spirit was dissatisfied. It had been working so hard here, yet in the end, there were only these few demonic cultivators to feed the sword. It immediately felt that things were unfair.
“Hmm, I’ll think of something.” Shu Xin also felt that this was far too inefficient.
If only all those demonic cultivators could come rushing out at once.
Huh?
That’s it.
“Listen, we can do this…”
High above the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect, a voice that was neither clearly male nor female suddenly rang out, nearly echoing across the entire sky.
“By order of Patriarch Yuanzhou and the sect master, all evil demons are to be exterminated. All disciples, hurry to the main hall and assemble. Those who arrive late will not be tolerated—”
Accompanying the thunderous voice was a sword cry that resounded across the horizon.
After the sword aura roared through the air, several peaks within the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect collapsed with a thunderous crash, demonstrating just how fierce the sword aura had been.
“It’s Elder Xiang Zhu!”
“There’s no mistake. Only Xiang Zhu is a sword cultivator capable of producing such a powerful sword cry.”
“Exterminate evil demons? What evil demons? Are there evil demons in our sect?”
…
“Master, are we really going to exterminate evil demons?” Xiang Zhu’s disciples hurried excitedly toward his cave abode, all of them already unable to contain their anticipation.
At long last, they had received orders to fight to their heart’s content.
“It wasn’t me!” Unexpectedly, the disciples saw only an enraged Xiang Zhu. “I wasn’t the one who spoke, and I wasn’t the one who made that sword cry either.”
“Master, surely you’re joking? Your attainments in the sword dao are the highest in the entire Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. If it wasn’t you, then who was it?” His disciples refused to believe him.
“It must be Shu Xin! It has to be her!” Xiang Zhu suddenly realized that something was wrong and quickly identified the culprit. “Hurry! Go find Shu Xin. We have to stop her!”
The Patriarch had only said to teach the cultivators of the Spirit-Possessed Demon Sect a lesson. He had never said to wipe them out completely.
If they truly ruined the Patriarch’s plans, then even if Xiang Zhu was willing to pay for it with his life, it probably would not be enough to make amends.
At the same time, after hearing the voice and sword cry from above the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect, the Spirit-Possessed demonic cultivators hiding throughout the sect also sensed that something was wrong.
This was bad. Could it be that the sect really intended to move against them?
Some of the more clever and cautious ones considered hiding for the time being. As long as they did not expose themselves, they still had a chance of surviving.
But the more timid cultivators felt something entirely different.
They were demonic cultivators to begin with, and hiding inside the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect had already left them constantly on edge. Now that Xiang Zhu of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect had suddenly unleashed such a powerful sword cry, it seemed that he really had been ordered to kill them.
Better to run first!
For a time, quite a few Spirit-Possessed demonic cultivators slipped quietly out of their cave abodes, thinking only of avoiding trouble for the moment.
This voice naturally reached Xuan Wu’s ears as well.
“What an old bastard Patriarch Yuanzhou is. He’s only just mastered the Spirit-Possession technique, and now he wants to wipe us all out?” Xuan Wu was furious. “Since that’s the case, don’t blame me.”
Xuan Wu immediately ordered his demonic cultivator subordinates not to surrender without a fight. Even in death, they had to drag cultivators from the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect down with them!
At that moment, the entire Nine Heavens Daoist Sect seemed to have been forcibly stripped of its hypocritical mask.
Many disciples discovered that the senior brothers and sisters who had always treated them kindly were suddenly baring their fangs and attacking them without warning.
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you?”
“No, you’re not my senior brother!”
…
For a time, nearly every corner of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect witnessed scenes of the same kind.
It was only then that many disciples of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect realized with astonishment that so many demons had already appeared silently among them.
So that was why Elder Xiang Zhu had said they were going to exterminate evil demons! These demons really had infiltrated their midst without anyone noticing. If Elder Xiang Zhu had not exposed them, how much longer would they have remained in the dark?
Xiang Zhu flew through the sect. When he saw the fighting that had broken out everywhere, his fury made his vision swim.
He had only wanted to quietly exterminate the evil demons. How had things suddenly become like this? Most infuriating of all, many people who did not know the truth actually believed that he was responsible—that he had been the one to tear away the sect’s false facade.
Where was Shu Xin? Where was Shu Xin?
At this moment, Xiang Zhu only wanted to find Shu Xin as quickly as possible, bring her back, and prove his innocence!
“Come on, let’s leave the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect first. We can deal with what comes afterward when the time comes.”
“It’s a shame about that cultivator I had my eye on. I’d already set the stage and nearly shattered his dao heart.”
“My external incarnation can only wait until later to retrieve.”
Quite a few Spirit-Possessed demonic cultivators had already rushed toward the boundary of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect as quickly as they could.
As long as they left this place, they would be safe for the time being.
“Everyone, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Just as they mistakenly believed they were about to escape danger, they saw a female cultivator standing before them with a smile on her face, a sword in her hand.
When Xiang Zhu finally found Shu Xin, he saw only her.
“Shu Xin, you… What have you done?” Xiang Zhu was so furious that even his voice trembled. “Who told you to act on your own and spread that message throughout the sect?”
“Fellow Daoist Xiang Zhu, why are you here? Could it be that you heard I killed quite a few demonic cultivators and were planning to come find me?” An innocent, delighted smile flickered across Shu Xin’s face as she flew cheerfully over to Elder Xiang Zhu. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. I clearly heard you transmitting your voice from above the sect, saying that evil demons were to be exterminated, so I specifically waited here at the exit.”
“I originally didn’t want to do this either, but you and I agreed beforehand to cooperate. If I didn’t support your decision, wouldn’t that make me seem insincere? So I came after all.” Shu Xin put on an affectedly concerned expression. “What did Fellow Daoist Xiang Zhu mean by what he just asked? Don’t tell me you weren’t the one speaking earlier?”
Xiang Zhu had never encountered anyone so shameless.
It had clearly been Shu Xin’s doing, yet she was actually trying to turn the blame on him?
“Do you know that your actions will only make every disciple of the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect panic, leading to countless innocent deaths?” Xiang Zhu forcibly suppressed his anger. “How are your actions any different from those of evil demons?”
“I don’t like that accusation, Fellow Daoist.” The smile gradually faded from Shu Xin’s face. “You make it sound as though I was the one who invited wolves into your sect and lured those Spirit-Possessed demonic cultivators into the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. What a joke. It was the people of your own sect who handed their disciples over to others and used them as bargaining chips. I was merely kindly helping you exterminate evil demons. How did this suddenly become my fault? Or is it that, in this world, only the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect gets to decide what is right?”
Xiang Zhu wanted to argue, but when faced with the mocking glint in Shu Xin’s eyes, he suddenly did not know what to say.
“You… You…”
“Fellow Daoist, calm down. I know you were only acting out of anxiety when you transmitted that message above the Nine Heavens Daoist Sect. I understand. I understand everything.” Shu Xin sighed heavily. “If you really want someone to take the blame, as long as the price is right, I’m not incapable of helping you.”
“One spirit vein, and I’ll take the blame for you. How does that sound?”
