Life is a play, and everything depends on one’s acting skills.
Whenever Shu Xin went easy on Elder Hu De, she did so with such finesse that even Elder Hu De himself did not believe Shu Xin was capable of killing him in an instant. Instead, he thought she was relying on the advantages of her cultivation technique to keep him running in circles, intending to drain his spiritual energy before settling the fight once and for all.
To be able to hold back to such an extent was truly astonishing.
And precisely because Elder Hu De was occupied with Shu Xin, the situation elsewhere on the battlefield began to change.
Take Qu Yougu, for example. As the Daoist heir of the Myriad Dao Sect, he possessed countless treasures and formidable strength of his own. After finally forcing back one cultivator of the Grotto-Heaven Realm, he was immediately targeted by another enemy. That enemy abandoned his previous opponent and rushed over to besiege Qu Yougu, clearly intent on “capturing the leader to control the rest.”
“Capture that Daoist heir, and the Myriad Dao Sect will be forced to hold back.”
With this thought in mind, all the Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators who still had energy to spare charged toward Qu Yougu. Meanwhile, those who wanted to help him, such as Yuan Xinmei and Rongyun, were held back by the other members of the Hu family.
“Hahaha, you’re all destined to die here.” Elder Hu De swept his gaze across the battlefield. Seeing that the situation was firmly in their favor, he could not help but wear a smug expression.
Indeed, the Hu family cultivators had made preparations long in advance. With the aid of the Myriad Bone Devouring Spirit Vine, they had begun to seize the advantage once the initial chaos subsided.
By contrast, although the Myriad Dao Sect had a great reputation, there were simply too few of them. One of their Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators had even been turned into a puppet and was now fighting against Yuan Xinmei.
With one side growing stronger while the other weakened, what appeared to be a chaotic melee was, in reality, already being suppressed by the Hu family.
Several Hu family elders even had enough strength to begin persuading the others to surrender.
“Those who sincerely surrender may join the Hu family and seek a glorious future together with us!”
“This place is deserted. No outsiders will ever learn what happened here.”
“If you refuse to surrender, you are simply courting death.”
On one side stood the Hu family, whose advantage was growing by the moment. On the other was their increasingly exhausted and weakened opposition.
Naturally, under such circumstances, some of the surviving cultivators on the battlefield had no choice but to change their stance.
“Elder Hu, we’re willing to help you deal with the people from the Myriad Dao Sect. We only ask that you stop letting that demonic vine attack us.”
“Yes, yes! We’re willing to sell ourselves to the Hu family as well. We will never betray you.”
…
The Hu family had originally hired more than thirty Core Formation cultivators, but fewer than twenty remained on the battlefield. Half of them had already become nourishment for the Myriad Bone Devouring Spirit Vine. After devouring their flesh and blood, the demonic vine had grown even stronger. Its branches were now capable of piercing the defenses of Core Formation cultivators, and anyone who let their guard down would become another skeleton among the dead.
Moreover, while their spiritual energy was gradually being depleted, the demonic vine only grew stronger the more it consumed.
Nascent Soul cultivators could barely protect themselves, while the Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators were being held back by members of the Hu family and had no strength to come to their rescue.
Thus, the Core Formation cultivators were the first group to consider surrendering.
“Hahaha, as long as you agree to sell yourselves into servitude and become servants of the Hu family, you can be considered to have truly surrendered.” Seeing this, another Hu family elder realized that these cultivators had already lost their will to fight and posed no further threat. His terms immediately became much harsher.
A moment ago, surrender had been enough. Now, they were being asked to become slaves.
A family like the Hu family, which had colluded with a demonic sect right under the nose of the Myriad Dao Sect—could they really be willing to let these people go free?
Upon hearing that they would have to sell themselves into slavery, the cultivators who had been wavering began to hesitate again.
“Only by becoming members of the Hu family and receiving our family mark can you avoid being devoured by the demonic vine,” the Hu family elder added at once.
They would be spared from the demonic vine?
Nearly all of the Core Formation cultivators were willing to accept, and even several Nascent Soul cultivators began to waver.
“I—I’m willing to sell myself to the Hu family,” Tan Wanyan immediately declared.
She had little of her lifespan left to begin with. If she continued struggling against the demonic vine, she would likely die here on the spot.
The Myriad Dao Sect might be powerful, but aside from Qu Yougu and Yuan Xinmei, the two Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivators, no other reinforcements had appeared. They were clearly stretched too thin.
The Hu family, by contrast, had overwhelming numbers and the support of the demonic vine. No matter how one looked at it, they did not seem likely to lose.
The brothers Wang Zhou and Wang Quan, who had pledged themselves to the Hu family early on, knew that there was no turning back after boarding the Hu family’s ship. They had therefore been doing everything in their power to help the family fight, and the demonic vine did not attack them at all.
Seeing Tan Wanyan surrender, Fan Jia’an and his uncles also began to hesitate.
Quite a few members of the Fan family had come this time—nearly one-third of the family’s elite forces. If they all perished here, the family would likely be attacked by other clans immediately.
Yet if they pledged themselves to the Hu family, then once the Hu family escaped its predicament, it would certainly demand that the entire Fan family submit. That would be far less decisive than Tan Wanyan’s choice to act independently.
“Your Fan family is a respectable clan. If you are willing to pledge your entire family to us, your sons can marry our daughters, and your daughters can marry our sons. The two families can merge into one. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful arrangement?” Seeing that the Fan family was wavering, another Hu family elder took the opportunity to speak. “As for the misunderstandings between us, they are nothing that cannot be resolved once we talk things over. After this battle, our Hu family will need to replenish its forces, and your Fan family can rise with us to become a major clan. Wouldn’t that be better for everyone?”
“If you refuse… hehe, you have no other choice anyway.” The Hu family elder did not spell out the rest, but anyone with eyes could see that if the Fan family chose to oppose the Hu family rather than submit, it would become the first family the Hu family purged afterward.
Their lives and deaths would be decided by a single thought.
“Merging the two families into one is no simple matter, but it can serve as a delaying tactic for now,” one of Fan Jia’an’s uncles transmitted through divine sense.
“Indeed. We have no better option at the moment,” another uncle agreed.
“We can accept your terms,” the two uncles of Fan Jia’an replied immediately.
“Then show us some sincerity. Although our Hu family is short on people, that doesn’t mean we’ll accept just anyone.” The Hu family elder smiled. “In this situation, we cannot establish a contract with you, and we do not trust those oaths sworn to the Dao Heart. Who knows how long it will take for such an oath to be fulfilled? So how about this: kill Fan Jia’an first, as proof of your sincerity in cooperating with us.”
Unlike lone cultivators who acted independently, the Hu family did not dare make rash promises to members of a clan.
After all, there were plenty of cultivators who would violate contracts and Dao Heart oaths for the sake of their families.
But anyone who had shed the blood of their own kin would be far more trustworthy.
That had always been the way of cultivation clans.
Although all kinds of schemes and intrigues were constantly unfolding within them, the clans of the cultivation world could still maintain a terrifying degree of unity when facing outsiders. Only by teaching their members from childhood that the clan’s interests came first, and that anyone who opposed the clan had to be defeated, could they unite the entire family through years of indoctrination and education. Killing one’s own clansmen for the sake of an outsider was an act despised by cultivation clans everywhere.
If someone could kill a fellow clan member for an outsider today, they could sell out the entire clan tomorrow.
Such behavior had never been tolerated.
Fan Jia’an’s cultivation was clearly weaker, yet his two uncles were guarding him so closely. This showed that his status within the Fan Clan was by no means ordinary. Only by killing Fan Jia’an would these two Grotto-Heaven-realm Fan cultivators truly devote themselves to the Hu Clan!
“Second Uncle, Fifth Uncle, you wouldn’t do this to me, would you?” Fan Jia’an immediately retreated, not even daring to get too close to his two uncles. “We’re family. Why listen to an outsider’s provocations? Even if you kill me, the Hu Clan will never truly regard you as their own.”
“If you really trusted us, nephew, why have you run so far away?”
“We are Grotto-Heaven cultivators. We can also marry into the Hu Clan. After suffering such heavy losses, the Hu Clan will certainly need outside cultivators to join them.”
The two uncles advanced step by step, their faces twisted into vicious expressions. “Nephew, you’d better behave. We’ll try to make it quick so you won’t suffer.”
Fan Jia’an’s expression changed dramatically, and he turned and ran.
But the entire area was surrounded by Myriad-Bone Soul-Eating Vines. If he rashly tried to break out, he would only die faster.
For two Grotto-Heaven-realm uncles, trapping him was a matter of minutes.
In the blink of an eye, Fan Jia’an could only place his final hope in Shu Xin, who was not far away.
“Senior Lin—no, Senior Shu, please save my life! Whatever you ask of me, I’ll agree to it!” Fan Jia’an shouted toward Shu Xin while taking out his protective magical treasure to buy himself some time.
Shu Xin blinked, pretending she hadn’t heard him.
As if!
Did he think she was some kindhearted person who never expected anything in return for her help, or someone who repaid evil with kindness?
Sorry, but she had seen perfectly clearly the murderous and malicious intentions Fan Jia’an had harbored toward her. She wasn’t about to save her enemy.
“Senior Shu, Senior Shu, didn’t you say you wanted to form an alliance with me? I… I’m willing to do anything. You can take me as a servant or even as a male concubine.” At the threshold of life and death, Fan Jia’an had no one else to rely on. All he could do was pray that Shu Xin shared Tan Wanyan’s tastes. At the very least, his looks were still good enough.
“What fly is buzzing around? I can’t hear a thing.” Shu Xin scratched her ear and continued to ignore him.
[I just love how you pretend not to hear people when you have no intention of saving them.] The Sword Spirit couldn’t help praising her. [After all these years, you’ve never once shown any softness on this front.]
If it had been someone else, they might have considered repaying evil with kindness or something of the sort. But that would never work with Shu Xin.
As if a few pleas for mercy and a few words of repentance could make someone save his life?
Was his life really that precious?
If he cared so much about staying alive, why hadn’t he thought about it when he was toying with the lives of others?
Before long, Fan Jia’an’s voice abruptly fell silent.
His Nascent Soul was torn from his body by his two uncles, while his corpse was presented to the Hu Clan elder as proof of their loyalty.
The Hu Clan elder smiled warmly and offered them a few words of praise before storing Fan Jia’an’s corpse in his own storage pouch. Clearly, he intended to use the corpse as leverage to keep the two men under control. Only then did he cup his hands and smile.
“The two of you are members of the Hu Clan from this day onward. As Grotto-Heaven-realm cultivators, it would be beneath you to serve as slaves. Once this matter is settled, my Hu Clan has plenty of fine daughters for you to marry into.”
The two Fan Clan Grotto-Heaven cultivators cupped their hands and expressed their thanks. Smiles had also appeared on their faces.
Hu De had watched the entire sequence of events unfold. As though he had suddenly understood something, he turned to Shu Xin and said earnestly, “Shu Xin, I’ve heard of your reputation. You left the Everlasting Dao Sect and broke through in the Asking Gods Sect. Although no one will dare touch you for the time being, the higher your cultivation rises, the greater a threat you’ll become to the Everlasting Dao Sect. Why not join my Hu Clan? We’re willing to support your cultivation and won’t begrudge you any resources. If you’re interested, you may choose any number of the Hu Clan’s sons—as many as ten or a hundred.”
[Ha! Look at you. You’ve been holding back so convincingly that they actually think they can control you.] If the timing had been more appropriate, the Sword Spirit would have whistled. [When are you planning to kill the old man?]
“Soon.” Shu Xin observed her surroundings. “I’m waiting for the demon cultivator from the Spirit-Possessing Demon Sect to show himself.”
She had no idea how that demon cultivator could be so patient. The Hu Clan had already gained an overwhelming advantage, yet he still had not appeared.
[He isn’t sure whether the Myriad Dao Sect has an Immaculate-realm cultivator hiding nearby, is he? He definitely won’t come out until he has a clear answer.]
[What a pity. Not only is there an Immaculate-realm cultivator, there are two of them.] The Sword Spirit giggled. [I just wonder when those two Immaculate-realm cultivators will make their move.]
“Shu Xin, think it over carefully. This old man isn’t in a hurry.” Elder Hu De mistook Shu Xin’s silence for hesitation and couldn’t help adding another sentence.
Shu Xin immediately struck him with an attack that held back far less power than before. “Wake up. Don’t get too arrogant. Any random Immaculate-realm cultivator from the Everlasting Dao Sect would be enough to wipe out your entire clan. If you want to recruit me, wait until your clan has produced a few Immaculate-realm cultivators under three hundred years old.”
Xu Guan of the Asking Gods Sect had reached the Immaculate realm at the age of three hundred. For someone at that cultivation level, he could be considered exceptionally young.
“What an intransigent fool!” Elder Hu De had clearly lost his temper. “Since you refuse to appreciate the offer, don’t blame this old man.”
With that, the spiritual energy within Elder Hu De suddenly surged. Black patterns began to emerge across his face, lending him an eerie and sinister appearance.
“You’re already so old, yet you’re still practicing a forbidden art that burns away your lifespan. Looks like you truly have no other options.” Shu Xin was somewhat speechless, but she also became more serious.
At the same time.
“Qu Yougu, does your Myriad Dao Sect really have no one else coming?” True Person Rongyun was already regretting staying behind to help Qu Yougu. This Daoist heir had actually brought only two Grotto-Heaven-realm cultivators with him?
All right, under normal circumstances, that would have been enough. But now the entire Hu Clan had gone completely mad and mobilized every member of the clan. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
“I’m out on a personal mission this time, so naturally I didn’t bring any sect elders with me.” Qu Yougu was being besieged by three Grotto-Heaven-realm cultivators and was barely holding his own. But when those three Grotto-Heaven cultivators also developed forbidden-art markings across their faces, it became clear that Qu Yougu’s defeat was only a matter of time.
Rongyun swore when he heard that.
The people of the Hu Clan were truly insane. Every one of them was practicing a forbidden art. They had clearly been deceived by that demon cultivator to the point that they no longer knew right from wrong.
And yet, even now, that demon had still not appeared.
“Ah—”
With a cry of alarm, Yuan Xinmei crashed heavily onto the deck of the flying vessel, the tremendous impact smashing a deep pit into the deck.
“Cough, cough.” Yuan Xinmei spat out two mouthfuls of blood and stared blankly at her senior brother, who had completely lost his mind. Her heart was filled with boundless sorrow. Dragging her gravely injured body, she hurried to Qu Yougu’s side and said cautiously, “Daoist heir, the situation is bad. We should avoid them for now. Once we return and report this to the sect, it won’t be too late to come back and capture these demon cultivators.”
She still had some spiritual energy left. If they used the formation to flee now, they might be able to fight their way to a slim chance of survival.
Qu Yougu’s face was icy, but he had no choice but to admit that they had underestimated the Hu family and the current situation. Even more unexpected was the fact that Yuan Xinmei’s senior brother had already become a puppet. Otherwise, with three Grotto-Heaven realm cultivators, the treasures bestowed by their sect, and the assistance of Rongyun and Shu Xin, they would have been more than capable of wiping out the entire Hu family.
“Indeed, this place is no longer safe.” Qu Yougu nodded. “Buy me some time. I’ll activate the teleportation formation.”
“Yes.”
Yuan Xinmei bit through her tongue and spat out a mouthful of vital blood. She brought out every treasured artifact and talisman she had kept in reserve, abandoning offense entirely in favor of defense. Her sole purpose was to buy Qu Yougu enough time to activate the teleportation formation.
“I’ll help you!” Seeing this, Rongyun no longer held back. He took out the defensive treasure his master had given him and darted to Qu Yougu’s side with astonishing speed.
The next moment, Shu Xin also evaded Elder Hu De’s attack, took the two swords with her, and slipped directly to Qu Yougu’s other side to stand guard.
“We can’t let them activate the teleportation formation! Absolutely not! We must not let them escape. Once they return to the Myriad Dao Sect, we’ll all die!” Elder Hu De shouted immediately.
At once, all the remaining people on the battlefield charged toward Qu Yougu.
Countless spells, divine abilities, magical treasures, and talismans rained toward Qu Yougu and the others as though they cost nothing.
Activating the teleportation formation was no simple matter. As long as they interrupted Qu Yougu’s casting—or simply gravely injured him—the others would be unable to leave.
The cultivators who had pledged themselves to the Hu family also went all out. Earlier, they had showered Qu Yougu with praise and treated him with awe because of his status as the Daoist heir. But at a critical moment like this, who cared who he was? Anyone who threatened their lives had to die.
Yet the few cultivators guarding Qu Yougu also employed every method at their disposal, disregarding everything as they fought to buy him time.
“Don’t try too hard. Just put on a show,” Shu Xin advised.
[Don’t worry. I understand.]
The Sword Spirit made the sword emit a few flashes of light, making it look as though it were working hard. In truth, it was doing absolutely nothing.
After following Shu Xin for so many years, it had failed to learn her good habits, but it had picked up every underhanded and unscrupulous trick without missing a single one.
“It’s almost done. We’ll leave together,” Qu Yougu said suddenly in delight. “Don’t get entangled with them. We’re leaving now.”
A formation centered on Qu Yougu began to spread. The abundant spiritual energy it released was especially conspicuous at that moment.
In an instant, the formation expanded, enveloping Rongyun, Yuan Xinmei, and Shu Xin within it. As for the other Hu family cultivators, Qu Yougu manipulated the formation to keep them outside.
The teleportation formation had been activated. A look of delight appeared on Qu Yougu’s face as he took a step toward its center.
At that very instant—
Yuan Xinmei, who had remained at Qu Yougu’s side all along, suddenly turned bloodshot-eyed. Without the slightest mercy, she struck Qu Yougu in the back with her palm, then stomped hard on the ground, shattering the center of the teleportation formation.
The formation’s spiritual energy gradually faded, and Qu Yougu was sent flying after taking the blow head-on.
Shu Xin shifted her position without changing expression, brushing past Qu Yougu.
She and Qu Yougu were hardly acquainted. She had no intention of catching him.
“Daoist heir… I-I didn’t mean to.” Pain and struggle appeared on Yuan Xinmei’s face, but her expression and body were doing entirely opposite things. It seemed that her whole body was acting against her will.
“Possessing you was no easy task.” The next moment, “Yuan Xinmei” spoke in a different tone. “First, I used your senior brother to break through your defenses. Then, while fighting you, I continuously infiltrated your meridians with my spiritual energy. In the end, I managed to possess you just in time.”
Qu Yougu swallowed two pills, and his pale complexion regained some color.
“This is bad. This is truly bad.” True Person Rongyun lowered his head in dejection. “For a cultivator from the Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator sect to successfully possess someone, they need the right timing and sufficient time. We all thought he was hiding among the Hu family members, so we carefully guarded against anyone approaching us. We never imagined that he had been hiding inside the puppet cultivator all along. The person he truly intended to possess was Yuan Xinmei.”
And now that the teleportation formation had been destroyed, how could any of them possibly escape?
“Damn demon! I’ll die with you!” Yuan Xinmei’s face seemed to split into two. One half wore an expression of triumph, while the other was filled with hatred and tears.
“You can’t do it.” “Yuan Xinmei” spoke gently. “I’m merely doing what you want to do. Your senior brother died for this Daoist heir, and you’re about to lose your life as well. Don’t you want this so-called Daoist heir to accompany you into hell? You’re all Grotto-Heaven realm cultivators. Why should you and your senior brother have to die for him?”
“After all, this was his bounty mission. You gain little whether it succeeds or not, but if it fails, you and your senior brother have to pay with your lives.”
“Yuan Xinmei” continued to erode the original owner’s will and resistance, every word seemingly spoken for her sake. “Once I kill them, I’ll send your soul to reincarnation. You can start over again. Wouldn’t that be better than detonating our souls together? Your senior brother’s soul is also in my possession. I can send you both into reincarnation and find you a good family to be born into. What do you say?”
Under the Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator’s constant persuasion, Yuan Xinmei’s consciousness gradually weakened.
Once the original owner’s consciousness vanished completely, the possession would be complete.
The Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator could even continue hiding inside Yuan Xinmei’s body and infiltrate the Myriad Dao Sect. It could be said to be killing several birds with one stone.
“Uncles and aunts, please help me subdue this demon!” Qu Yougu looked up at the empty sky and bowed.
“Very well!”
In an instant, the Bone-Eating Spirit Vines that had been wantonly growing and devouring flesh and blood throughout the surroundings seemed to have been attacked by something. They immediately withered and weakened.
From the empty space, violent spatial fluctuations faintly emerged. Two cultivators stepped out from within a vortex of spiritual energy.
The Purityless Realm?!
“Yuan Xinmei’s” face twisted. “You planned this! You deliberately activated the teleportation formation just to wait for me to reveal myself?”
Qu Yougu lifted his chin slightly and straightened his chest.
“That’s right. I was waiting for you!”
“Hahaha! As expected of the so-called orthodox sects. To deal with me, you were willing to sacrifice two Grotto-Heaven cultivators.” Yuan Xinmei laughed. “Yuan Xinmei, did you see that? You and your senior brother were discarded pawns from the very beginning. They deliberately sent you both to me.”
At that moment, Yuan Xinmei’s consciousness dimmed to almost nothing.
As disciples of an affiliated sect, no matter how hard they worked, they were destined to pave the way for the Daoist heirs of the main sect.
Even as Grotto-Heaven cultivators, all they could do was wait to be sold for a good price.
To die for something like this—how utterly worthless.
How utterly unjust!
At last, every trace of Yuan Xinmei’s consciousness was completely suppressed.
The Spirit-Possessing Demon Cultivator had completed the possession.
Seeing this, Shu Xin merely let out a soft sigh.
When the time was right, those from an affiliated sect would naturally become stepping stones for the main sect.
[Thank heavens, this unlucky fool has finally realized she was played.] The Sword Spirit clicked its tongue twice. [She’s nowhere near as clever as you.]
If it had been Shu Xin, she would have fled the moment Qu Yougu revealed his identity, rather than letting herself be caught in an ambush.
The world was treacherous and human hearts were as vicious as wolves. Even demon cultivators had to be careful not to fall into someone else’s schemes.
“When the fight is almost over, we’ll take the opportunity to land a finishing blow. I’ll give you a good cleaning, and you make yourself look a little more faded. That way, I can find someone from the Myriad Dao Sect and extort them—ah, no, I mean claim compensation for our losses.” Shu Xin quickly adjusted her mood and hurriedly reminded it.
