The Myriad Dao Sect.
“Good. As expected of a Dao Disciple—he captured a demon cultivator from the Spirit Possession Demon Sect in a single move.” The elder who received the message threw his head back and laughed. “Go to the Merit Hall at once and issue the Dao Disciple’s merit for capturing this demon cultivator. We must also make sure to spread the word about his prestige.”
The attendants nearby immediately understood and hurried off to carry out the order.
It was an honor just to run errands for a Dao Disciple.
Now, every one of the Myriad Dao Sect’s current Dao Disciples had achievements to their name. As for who would emerge victorious in the end, it was truly impossible to say.
“Elder, I’ve heard that cultivators from the Spirit Possession Demon Sect are extremely difficult to capture. Even Pureflawless Realm cultivators have trouble finding their true bodies unless they reveal themselves first. Shouldn’t we wait until the Dao Disciple brings the demon back and verify him before making any announcements?” one of the elder’s trusted aides could not help saying.
What if they had only captured an external incarnation while the true demon escaped?
“This time, the two elders accompanying the Dao Disciple both took action. This Spirit Possession demon cultivator must be the real thing.” The elder glanced at his aide and said earnestly, “Even if he isn’t, he will be. The struggle between Dao Disciples has never been a personal struggle between them. It is a struggle between the thousands of mountain lineages within our Myriad Dao Sect. The stakes are far too high for people like you and me to comment on. Do you understand?”
The Myriad Dao Sect occupied a vast territory. There were more than a thousand mountain peaks with their own recognized inheritances, and at its height, it had nearly ten thousand mountain ranges and several thousand lineages. That was how it had earned the name “Myriad Dao Sect” and stood proudly in the cultivation world.
But as other sects gradually rose, the Myriad Dao Sect had lost the glory it once possessed.
Now, Qu Yougu was the most outstanding disciple of their Formless Lineage. This time, he had even set out with the support of two Pureflawless Realm cultivators from the Formless Lineage, all so that he could make a name for himself in one decisive stroke.
Therefore, Qu Yougu had to complete this mission.
What he carried on his shoulders was not merely his own future.
“Elder, if the other lineages demand that we verify whether the demon cultivator is truly himself, I’m afraid we’ll have trouble explaining ourselves.” What the aide was mainly worried about was this. After all, the mission’s bounty had been issued through their hands.
“Rest assured. They have no way to verify it,” the elder said calmly.
There was only one thing that could determine whether a Spirit Possession demon cultivator had possessed someone else and whether he was the true body: Clear Mirror Divine Water.
Only the core disciples of the Spirit Possession Demon Sect possessed Clear Mirror Divine Water. They used it to identify their fellow sect members and prevent them from killing one another by mistake.
In the past, the Nine Great Dao Sects had stored some of it as well.
But they soon discovered that the greatest use of Clear Mirror Divine Water was in proving something that did not exist.
Whenever a disciple within the sect committed some heinous act, such as betraying his ancestors or murdering fellow disciples, they could use the excuse that “he had been possessed by a Spirit Possession demon cultivator” to preserve the sect’s reputation.
Likewise, when factions within the sect fought and denounced one another, “colluding with demon cultivators” was one of the most convenient charges available.
The cultivators of the Spirit Possession Demon Sect were demonic cultivators, just like those of the other demonic sects. Were they really the only ones capable of causing harm?
The Corpse Refining Demon Sect exchanged murders, killing one another and torturing each other’s relatives and friends to turn them into corpses. Was that not dangerous?
The Blood Demon Sect loved blood sacrifices and even controlled several demonic kingdoms with enormous populations. Was that truly safe?
In the end, Spirit Possession demon cultivators were simply the easiest scapegoats. They were the perfect excuse for eliminating dissidents and suppressing powerful enemies.
That was why the various sects kept very little Clear Mirror Divine Water in reserve and would not use it lightly.
Otherwise, what would they do if they finally captured a “Spirit Possession Demon Sect cultivator,” only to discover after testing him with the divine water that he was not one at all?
Therefore, this demon cultivator was unquestionably the real thing.
Meanwhile, because Shu Xin had “passed out as happily as could be,” Qu Yougu and the others had no choice but to wait until reinforcements from the sect arrived. They instructed their people to settle Shu Xin somewhere safe and deal with her after she regained consciousness.
The cultivators connected to the Hu Family also had to be captured one by one.
As for Hu De, Hu Ren, and the other Hu Family elders, they were utterly dispirited, like stray dogs that had lost their homes. They did not even have the will to die alongside their enemies. All of them had their cultivation sealed.
The two Pureflawless Realm cultivators had originally intended to deal with the Myriad Bone Devouring Spirit Vine themselves. Yet, for some unknown reason, when they went looking for the demon vine’s core, they found it completely empty, as though someone had already cleaned it out in advance.
Perhaps the vine had never condensed a demonic core at all and had merely been forcibly catalyzed.
As long as they captured the demon cultivator, that was enough. The two Pureflawless Realm cultivators had no desire to investigate further.
The Sword Spirit, however, gazed at the grime on its sword tip, which had been cleaned away to reveal a smooth section of blade the length of a finger joint, and was moved almost to tears.
Wonderful! The karma from that Spirit Possession demon cultivator had truly been immense, and the demonic core of the Myriad Bone Devouring Spirit Vine had been large enough as well. Look at that—the grime on its blade had been washed away by this much in a single stroke.
Clearly, it was better to kill more demons like these.
[How long are you planning to stay unconscious? The people from the Myriad Dao Sect are almost finished cleaning up the aftermath. They examined that spirit herb and took it away, and they didn’t kill the treasure-seeking rat either. They simply put it away.]
“Since it’s a treasure-seeking rat capable of finding spirit herbs, it has its own unique value even if it was raised on flesh and blood.” Shu Xin kept her eyes tightly shut as she conversed with the Sword Spirit through her divine sense. “At the very least, I have to wait until they sit down to divide the spoils before waking up. Otherwise, it’ll be difficult to assign responsibility. My current backing is still a little too weak.”
The Myriad Dao Sect had certainly contributed the most to the entire affair.
At most, Shu Xin could be considered someone who had merely profited from the situation.
But if the Myriad Dao Sect claimed that she had acted recklessly and refused to give her any spirit stones—or refused to let her interrogate the demon cultivator—that would be perfectly justifiable as well.
The Inquiring God Sect was already in decline. No matter how powerful Xu Guan was, he was only a Pureflawless Realm cultivator. If his reputation could protect Shu Xin alone, that was already quite impressive. She could not expect more.
But pretending to faint at a time like this was different.
Surely they could not criticize an injured person.
After all, Shu Xin had only intervened because Qu Yougu had asked for her help.
Whether she had actually helped or not was beside the point. The important thing was: had she helped or hadn’t she?
Once she fainted, she would not have to shoulder any responsibility. All she had to do was recuperate and rest properly.
Of course she would choose to pretend to be unconscious.
[It’s all because of the infighting among these sects. If they had simply produced more of something as useful as Clear Mirror Divine Water, where would all these Spirit Possession demon cultivators have gotten the chance to cause trouble?] The Sword Spirit grumbled. [Situ Jian wanted some, but the Longevity Dao Sect barely had any in storage. Does that make sense?]
“It makes perfect sense.” Shu Xin smiled. “If the cultivation world were peaceful, and the immortal and demonic paths had no common enemy, how could there be any such peace?”
The oppression faced by low-level cultivators in this world was so severe. If they did not establish a few more targets for everyone to hate, what would they use to numb the minds of those at the bottom?
[No wonder you humans managed to wipe out the demon race. You’re ruthless enough even toward your own kind.]
Shu Xin remained “unconscious” for roughly a day and a night.
Only after everything had more or less been settled did she slowly wake up.
Seeing this, several maidservants hurried off to inform Qu Yougu.
Qu Yougu arrived moments later, looking far more spirited than before.
Naturally. After earning such a tremendous merit, he would surely have no shortage of benefits waiting for him once he returned to his sect.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, you’re finally awake.” Qu Yougu was fairly polite. “My martial uncle was a little heavy-handed. He was only trying to exterminate the demon, but accidentally injured you in the process. Allow me to apologize on his behalf.”
“It’s nothing serious.” Shu Xin spoke weakly. “What is the situation now? How long was I unconscious? My junior brothers and sisters are still waiting for me.”
“A day and a night,” Qu Yougu replied. “Where are your junior brothers and sisters? I can send someone to notify them.”
“I was worried that the demonic cultivator might harm them, so I hid them somewhere safe. Then, fearing that this Myriad-Bone Devouring Spirit Vine might bring disaster upon the world, I came back.” Shu Xin answered with affected sincerity. “The success of this operation was also thanks to you, Fellow Daoist Qu.”
“You give me too much credit.” Qu Yougu thought for a moment before continuing, “We’ll be returning to our sect shortly. If you don’t mind, you could come back with us to recuperate. My master has always spoken highly of your teacher and would never treat you unfairly.”
“Our master repeatedly instructed us that the Asking-Deity Sect is only a small sect. Now, we even have to survive by selling off our ancestral property, so we mustn’t cause trouble for others.” Shu Xin’s expression turned gloomy. “Alas, now that the Hu Family has fallen, I wonder whether the spirit stones they promised me still count. Otherwise, who knows how long it will take before I can gather enough resources for my five junior brothers to attempt the Dao Infant realm?”
Upon hearing this, Qu Yougu immediately understood what Shu Xin was hinting at.
“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. We’ve already sent people to inventory all the Hu Family’s assets. When the time comes, we’ll compensate you threefold. Consider it compensation for the shock you suffered.”
Only three times? How stingy.
Shu Xin inwardly rolled his eyes.
“Ahem.” Shu Xin coughed twice more. “Such a generous gift is truly too much. Although you did ask me to help, Fellow Daoist Qu, I didn’t actually do much. And now I’m still troubling you to look after me. I think I should leave.”
He made as if to get out of bed.
Qu Yougu simply could not bring himself to let a cultivator who had been injured helping him leave just like that. He had no choice but to persuade him again.
“Why must you be like this, Fellow Daoist Shu? If I hadn’t asked for your help, you wouldn’t have been injured. And if you hadn’t held Elder Hu De back for us, the rest of the operation might not have gone so smoothly. If you don’t mind, I’m also willing to personally gift you five thousand spirit stones. Please, you mustn’t refuse.”
They say the richer a person is, the stingier they become.
I’m already in this condition, and he’s only giving me five thousand?
Even as a token gesture, it should have been fifty thousand.
[That kid doesn’t have any money. I checked,] the sword spirit said from the side. [There’s less than ten thousand spirit stones combined in his storage ring and storage bag. I expect he never has to spend money when he’s out and about. He’s always the one receiving money from others.]
As the Dao Disciple of the Myriad Dao Sect, whenever Qu Yougu wanted something, the uncles and elders of his own lineage would simply give it to him. Why would he need to buy anything outside?
The things sold outside were nothing more than castoffs that the major sects no longer wanted.
Fine. At least this trip hadn’t been entirely for nothing.
Shu Xin could only accept the offer while he was ahead.
“After accepting such a generous gift from you, Fellow Daoist Qu, I truly feel embarrassed,” Shu Xin said, putting on an affected expression. “What will happen to that demonic cultivator’s spirit now?”
“We’ve locked the spirit away and sealed it inside a Soul-Nourishing Wood,” Qu Yougu answered frankly. “If there’s anything you’d like to ask Fellow Daoist, you can ask him directly. However, soul-searching is probably impossible. A restriction was placed on his spiritual consciousness. The moment anyone attempts a soul-search, the Soul-Implanting Demon Cultivator will sense it and leave a mark on the target. Please don’t act rashly.”
“I understand.” Shu Xin was somewhat disappointed, but this outcome had been within his expectations.
Qu Yougu then took out a piece of pitch-black wood. The entire piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood was as thick as an infant’s arm.
Shu Xin was so envious that he nearly drooled.
Soul-Nourishing Wood had always been priceless and nearly impossible to obtain. It could nurture a cultivator’s spirit and almost never circulated on the market.
A piece this large would be enough to sell Shu Xin more than a dozen times over.
Shu Xin extended his spiritual sense into the Soul-Nourishing Wood and saw a pale-faced middle-aged man bound by layer upon layer of chains.
“Have you come to laugh at me as well?” Wei Yiming’s arrogance remained undiminished when he saw Shu Xin. “If you’re going to kill me, then do it. You righteous sects are all hypocrites. I only regret that I was careless and fell into your hands.”
“You killed so many people and even went out of your way to provoke the Myriad Dao Sect. Wasn’t it only a matter of time before you were caught?” Shu Xin did not indulge the demon. “Save your strength. Once you reach the Myriad Dao Sect, you’ll have plenty of suffering in store.”
Wei Yiming stared at Shu Xin ominously. “What exactly did you come here for?”
“You were an inner-core disciple of the previous generation of the Soul-Implanting Demon Sect. You must have possessed some Mirrorbright Divine Water. Where did you hide it?”
“Mirrorbright Divine Water?” Wei Yiming sneered. “Didn’t your righteous sects gather together and destroy a large batch of it? What’s the matter? You need it now?”
“You don’t need to put on an act with me. The reason you’re behaving so arrogantly is because you hope the people outside will kill you as soon as possible.” Shu Xin looked Wei Yiming up and down. “You must still have an external incarnation left somewhere, and you probably hid part of your spirit within it as well. That way, even if your main body dies, as long as the elders of the Myriad Dao Sect don’t trace the matter to its source, your external incarnation might still escape, allowing your spirit to reincarnate. But if you fall into the hands of the Myriad Dao Sect, you’ll never be reborn.”
Wei Yiming said nothing. He simply stopped paying attention to Shu Xin.
“Even if you don’t tell me, I can still guess.” Shu Xin looked at his thoroughly uncooperative expression. “Your external incarnation is with the Fan Family, isn’t it?”
Wei Yiming remained silent.
“When Elder Hu De suddenly told the Fan Family’s two Grotto-Heaven realm cultivators that he was willing to have the Fan Family merge with the Hu Family, turning the two clans into one, I thought it was strange.” Shu Xin analyzed the matter on his own. “Even if the Hu Family was short on people, there were plenty of ways to recruit enough. Yet when it came to the Fan Family, they treated them far too generously. I don’t have many virtues, but I do enjoy thinking things through. Fan Jia’an made so many little moves aboard the Hu Family’s flying ship, and I noticed every one of them. Do you really expect me to believe that the Hu Family failed to notice?”
“My spiritual sense is fairly impressive, but disciples of the Soul-Implanting Demon Sect specialize in the soul. The idea that you failed to notice the Fan Family’s little tricks is laughable. So the only explanation is that you deliberately let the Fan Family off, because there was something you needed from them—or rather, because you had something hidden with the Fan Family.”
That way, no matter what happened, neither the Hu Family nor the Fan Family could cause him any losses.
Even if he encountered cultivators from the Myriad Dao Sect, he could present himself as a victim, and the Myriad Dao Sect would have no reason to suspect him.
“You’re pretending you can’t hear me? Fine. I’ll go talk to Qu Yougu. I’m sure that, at a time like this, even if they kill the wrong person, they won’t let the matter go.”
Shu Xin was just about to leave.
“Wait.” Wei Yiming opened his eyes and called out to her, glaring viciously. “What exactly do you want?”
“I told you. Tell me exactly where the Mirror Divine Water is,” Shu Xin replied. “I’d like to save myself the trouble of searching.”
“Help me escape, and not only will I tell you where the Mirror Divine Water is, I can also give you anything else you want.” Wei Yiming softened his tone. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that you and Qu Yougu are currently at the same cultivation level. Given enough time, he’ll inevitably leave you far behind. The people I hate most in this life are the cultivators of the Myriad Dao Sect. If you help me, I guarantee that in a hundred years, you’ll have a chance to reach the Wugou realm.”
Shu Xin rolled her eyes. A wisp of sword energy shot from her fingertip and plunged straight into Wei Yiming’s spiritual essence.
“Forget it. As long as I can confirm that your external incarnation is at the Fan residence, that’s enough.” Shu Xin yawned. “A man who’s about to die, and he still dares negotiate terms with me?”
Shu Xin quickly withdrew her divine sense.
“Ah, I’d originally wanted to ask whether this demon still had any other fellow disciples nearby, but who knew he’d rather die than talk.” Shu Xin sighed, then looked at Qu Yougu with some disappointment. “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Qu.”
Qu Yougu released his divine sense into the soul-nourishing wood. Seeing that Wei Yiming showed no signs of having been subjected to a soul search, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Once we return to the sect, the elders will naturally handle the interrogation. If it’s convenient, I’ll pass the information on to you then.”
“Oh, right, Fellow Daoist Qu. I have one more favor to ask.”
…
Yuan Dawei and the others had hidden for an entire day and night.
There was still no word from their senior sister, and they were nearly unable to sit still.
They were in the middle of debating whether they should go out to look for their senior sister or continue hiding as she had instructed when they finally heard a familiar voice.
“You’re all behaving yourselves and hiding here? Not bad, not bad. Come out.” Shu Xin strode out boldly. “It’s all over now. Here, I have five hundred spirit stones. One hundred each. Consider them a reward.”
“Senior Sister, you’re all right!”
“Senior Sister, we were worried sick! Where did you go for that entire day and night?”
“That’s right, Senior Sister. We sensed several incredibly powerful auras outside, nearly as strong as Master’s. We were afraid something had happened to you.”
…
Hearing her junior brothers and sisters express such concern, Shu Xin felt a little embarrassed about continuing to keep a stern face. She had no choice but to briefly explain what had happened.
“…That’s more or less the whole story. The Myriad Dao Sect deliberately set a trap to capture a spirit-possessing demonic cultivator, and we happened to get caught up in it. Fortunately, a cultivator of the Wugou realm intervened. Otherwise, I can’t say how things would have turned out.” Shu Xin kept her explanation simple. “But everything’s settled now. Qu Yougu has already taken his people back.”
All in all, they had spent a little over a month eating and drinking well at the Hu residence, while Qu Yougu’s side had paid out a total of eight thousand spirit stones. It could be said to have been an immensely profitable venture.
However, knowing that these junior brothers and sisters couldn’t hold on to money, Shu Xin decided not to tell them.
“I can’t believe that’s what happened.” Qi Feiyang still seemed somewhat shocked. “I never imagined the Myriad Dao Sect had been prepared in advance. What will happen to the rest of the Hu family?”
“If they’re lucky, their assets may be confiscated and they’ll be reduced to wandering cultivators. If they’re unlucky, they may be forced into servitude—or simply killed.” Shu Xin couldn’t say for certain. “That said, if the Hu family had any cultivators they forcibly seized, those people may regain their freedom. The orthodox sects are hypocritical too, but they’re still somewhat better than the demonic sects.”
In other words, they were the less rotten of two rotten apples.
“What about the wandering cultivators who joined the Hu family?” Meng Wenrui asked as well.
“Those with ability might be taken in by one of the Myriad Dao Sect’s affiliated sects,” Shu Xin said tactfully. “As for those without ability, they’ll probably be locked up for a few years, have their spirit stones and magical artifacts confiscated, and then be released.”
If these wandering cultivators really had ability, would they still be wandering cultivators?
Someone like Tan Wanyan, whose reputation was poor but whose cultivation was passable, would most likely become cannon fodder for the Myriad Dao Sect to use against its enemies.
There was no way the Myriad Dao Sect would let these wandering cultivators go before squeezing every last drop of value out of them.
Everyone could hear what Shu Xin was implying, and after thinking it over, they stopped asking questions.
It was already difficult enough for their senior sister to look after all five of them. How could they keep pestering her with questions?
“Senior Sister, are we going back to the sect next?” Cao Ru couldn’t help suggesting.
“Actually, we’ve been out for less than two months,” Shu Xin replied.
“But why does it feel as though it’s been much longer?” Cao Ru sounded a little dejected.
She was beginning to miss home.
Two months of traveling below the mountain had felt as though more had happened than in the twenty years she had spent on the mountain.
“I’m starting to miss Master and Second Senior Brother too.”
“Senior Sister, why don’t we go back for a while?”
…
Shu Xin looked at the five junior brothers and sisters. A brilliant smile spread across her face.
“What wonderful dream are you all having? You secretly followed me down the mountain when you wanted to leave, and now that trouble has appeared, you want to crawl back home? No. You’ll stay here and continue gaining experience. I already know where we’re going next. All five of you, change into a different set of clothes. I’m going to the Fan residence.”
“The Fan residence?”
“What are we going there for?”
The five junior brothers and sisters couldn’t understand at all. They all opened their eyes wide and stared at Shu Xin in unison.
“Look.” Shu Xin took Fan Jia’an’s corpse out of her storage ring and tossed it onto the ground.
“Qinghe, go outside and buy a coffin. Get some white clothing as well, enough for all of you to change into.” Shu Xin thought for a moment, then added, “Buy some musical instruments too, and hire a few cultivators to play a funeral procession. We’ll be responsible for escorting Fan Jia’an’s body back to the Fan residence.”
When Li Qinghe heard Senior Sister giving him these instructions, his first reaction was to answer, “All right.” Only afterward did he look utterly baffled.
“You ignored him when he begged you for help, and now you’re pretending to mourn him and send him off?” The sword spirit laughed so hard it could barely speak. “Hahaha, this is killing me!”
Shu Xin lowered her eyes and gave herself another makeover. Her magical robes had already turned white.
She now looked refined and demure, and her aura had suddenly become much weaker. She seemed so delicate and pitiful that anyone would feel protective of her.
“Alas, my beloved Fan and I fell in love at first sight. Now that he has met with an untimely death, as his closest friend, it is only right that I take responsibility and escort his body back to the Fan family.” Shu Xin dabbed at nonexistent tears. “You are the funeral procession I hired. From now on, you’ll follow me and escort my beloved Fan back to his hometown. The grander the procession, the better. Understood?”
The five junior brothers and sisters wore blank expressions, but they still nodded instinctively.
