The battle between the many factions had lasted nearly two months.
The area around the Profound Spirit Dao Sect had been reduced almost entirely to ruins. Cultivators from both the immortal and demonic paths had suffered casualties, yet the battle still showed no sign of producing a victor.
At first, the demonic cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect and the others who had launched the ambush held the upper hand, but support for the Dao Sect arrived quickly as well.
Gradually, the two sides settled into a stalemate.
Even now, neither side could completely overpower the other. Everyone had come to understand the situation, and their attacks had consequently become much more restrained.
If victory was destined to remain out of reach, why risk their lives?
Even Long Ling and Yin Rushi, who had initially been at daggers drawn, had begun treating each other with a measure of courtesy, as though all the grievances and entanglements between them had never existed.
The Sword Spirit could not help sighing to Shu Xin, “You humans really know how to bend when necessary.”
Whether it was differences in cultivation or divisions between sects, everything ultimately came down to human relationships and social maneuvering.
The more profound a cultivator’s cultivation, the more precisely they mastered that art.
“Of course. Either kill all your enemies in one stroke and leave no survivors, or, if you can’t do that, keep up appearances. You can’t let both sides suffer heavy losses only to have someone else take advantage of the situation afterward.” Shu Xin nodded along. “Take a look for me. How many people have arrived outside?”
As she spoke, Shu Xin glanced again at Juechen, who was barely clinging to life. He seemed to be nearing his limit. She could kill him directly now.
“Let me see. Nearly all the reinforcements from the various Dao Sects have arrived,” the Sword Spirit replied after taking a quick look. “The demonic sects have arrived as well, but the spirit veins of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect have already been completely divided up.”
The division of the spirit veins was presumably the true main event. The conflict around the Scripture Pavilion was little more than a sideshow.
Once the matter over there reached its conclusion, this battle would naturally have to end as well.
If casualties had occurred before the spirit veins were divided because of “young people not knowing any better,” then everyone could simply say that the victims had been outmatched. There would be nothing more to discuss.
But now that the division of the spirit veins had been settled, if these young cultivators still could not determine a winner, the conflict could only be dismissed as children fooling around. They could no longer be allowed to continue fighting.
More importantly, the true battlefield was not here at all. It was at the place where Wugou Realm was attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage.
In other words, the battle here was simply too insignificant.
Even if every cultivator at the Grotto-Heaven stage died, it would still be less shocking than the birth of a new Mahayana cultivator.
For example, an elder from the Blood Demon Sect put on a false look of concern and said, “When we were at the sect, our Ancestor always said that young people should have some vitality. They shouldn’t become as lifeless as we old fellows. It seems that Yin Rushi has taken our Ancestor’s words to heart. Fellow Daoists, there’s no need to take it personally. He is merely following our Ancestor’s orders.”
The implication was clear: If you were unhappy, go find the Blood Demon Ancestor. There was nothing his disciples and descendants could do about it.
“How considerate your Ancestor is toward the younger generation,” an elder from the Carefree Dao Sect replied sarcastically. “Unlike our sect’s Ancestor, who devotes himself entirely to cultivation and cannot even remember the names of his own disciples.”
What a ridiculous act. As if the Blood Demon Ancestor would even know who you were.
Although they could not truly fight each other to the death, there was nothing wrong with trading a few barbs.
The elder from the Joyful Union Sect waved her hand and called Fairy Mochou over. She addressed her with one endearment after another, fussing over her like a beloved daughter as she clasped Fairy Mochou’s hand.
“Ah, Mochou was treasured like the apple of our eye back at the sect. We were afraid she might fall if we held her in our palms, and afraid she might melt if we kept her in our mouths. How could you rough men be so heavy-handed? What if you damaged my Mochou’s face?”
“Master, I’m fine.” Fairy Mochou smiled and gently withdrew her hand from her master’s grasp.
“Never mind. I’ll help you heal through dual cultivation when we return.” The elder from the Joyful Union Sect smiled. “Your master has recently selected several excellent male cultivators for you. They’re full of yang energy and quite vigorous. They’ll certainly help you recover properly.”
Fairy Mochou’s expression turned somewhat ashen, but she still managed to maintain her smile.
The male cultivators her master referred to were hardly suitable for her to drain. If she could avoid being drained by them and manage to replenish her master afterward, that would already be fortunate.
As demonic cultivators, they had no such thing as genuine master-disciple affection. It was nothing more than using one another.
Yin Rushi watched Fairy Mochou from afar and gave her a smile.
The most important lesson for anyone raised in a demonic sect was learning how to kill their own master.
If they could not accomplish that, it was difficult to call themselves an outstanding demonic cultivator.
On the side of the Myriad Dao Sect, White Crane Dao Lord immediately rushed forward to protect his disciple, Qu Yougu. He swept his gaze around and noticed that Shu Xin was absent, but he did see an exceptionally impressive sword formation.
“Disciple, are you all right?” White Crane Dao Lord glanced at his disciple. He felt that something about Qu Yougu had changed, but he could not say exactly what it was.
“I’m fine.” Seeing his master’s concern, Qu Yougu could only force down the resentment in his heart.
“This sword formation is truly remarkable.” The eyes of a sword cultivator elder from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect lit up. “Who is inside it?”
“Shu Xin of the Seeking Dao Sect.”
“Oh? I don’t recall the Seeking Dao Sect possessing any formidable inheritance related to sword formations.” The elder from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect extended a hand, intending to touch the formation.
Qu Yougu and Xie Xianzhi immediately shouted in unison, “Don’t!”
Shu Xin was still inside!
What if breaking the formation from the outside affected the battle within?
Did the elder from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect truly not understand something so basic, or was he deliberately doing this?
However, the instant the elder’s fingertip touched the sword formation, the formation—which had seemed nearly impenetrable—suddenly scattered with a sharp swish. The sword formation vanished without a trace.
“Elder, did you break it?” Xie Xianzhi’s expression turned ugly. “Fellow Daoist Shu won’t be affected by this, will she?”
“…I haven’t even touched it yet.” The elder from the Nine Heavens Dao Sect let out a soft sigh. “It should be that the person inside is coming out.”
The spirit swords positioned throughout the formation flew out one after another. Transforming into a stream of swords, they slowly converged toward a single person.
Shu Xin gently raised her hand, and the Sumeru ring on her finger glimmered faintly.
Hundreds, even thousands, of spirit swords of varying grades all entered her Sumeru ring.
The moment the sword formation was withdrawn, the countless dried bones within it all turned to dust before everyone’s eyes and scattered away.
Juechen, standing at the very center, seemed to retain all the flesh on his body. Yet his head drooped deeply, and he vanished before everyone’s eyes alongside the other skeletons.
The sight was truly shocking to everyone present.
So many corpse puppets. So many cultivators.
Not a single one had survived?
Could this Shu Xin have been the reincarnation of some great expert? Otherwise, how could she have defeated so many corpse puppets after entering the Grotto-Heaven stage only a few years ago—especially when some of them had been refined from cultivators of the Wugou Realm?
The scene was completely different from what everyone had imagined.
“I am Shu Xin of the Seeking Gods Sect. Greetings, everyone.” Shu Xin gave a slight curtsy, dipping her head just enough to make the gesture seem proper.
Two spirit swords hung at her waist, and quite a few bloodstains remained on the hem of her robes—stains Shu Xin had deliberately applied herself. Altogether, she looked rather more weathered and drained after the battle, yet also carried a carefree, dashing air.
“Excellent, excellent! This Fellow Daoist Shu truly is a shining light of our Truth-Seeking Dao Sect.” An elder from the Truth-Seeking Dao Sect threw his head back and laughed. “That scene just now was without a doubt the most impressive thing this old man has witnessed in all my years. Your cultivation is incredibly pure. Your thoughts must be clear and untroubled; after this battle, you will surely rise to another level.”
After such a fierce battle, there was not the slightest trace of confusion in Shu Xin’s eyes. Neither pity nor hatred for the demonic cultivator could be found there—only calm.
Clearly, no matter what method that demonic cultivator had used before his death, it had not disturbed her Dao heart.
Demonic cultivators loved nothing more than dragging someone down with them in their final moments.
They possessed countless methods and were especially skilled at scheming.
If given the opportunity, they would have no qualms about planting a seed in the heart of the person who killed them, shaking that person’s Dao heart and ensuring that their future cultivation was filled with twists and obstacles.
There had once been a particularly talented disciple of a Dao Sect who had gone down the mountain to gain experience and slain countless demonic cultivators. Unfortunately, one of them had known certain secrets about the sect. He had revealed all sorts of things and spread all sorts of slander, causing the disciple’s Dao heart to waver. In the end, the disciple had wounded countless people within the sect and fallen into the demonic path. Only when the sect purged him and searched his soul did they discover why he had fallen so completely.
Therefore, many experienced masters would warn their disciples before sending them out to gain experience: if they encountered a demonic cultivator, they were to kill them immediately and not listen to a single word.
When Yin Rushi, Yang Fei, and Fairy Mochou saw Juechen die so cleanly, without leaving even a trace behind, the wariness in their gazes toward Shu Xin deepened.
With Juechen’s battle formation and strength, even they would not dare claim that they could defeat him with absolute certainty if they encountered him. It was even more unimaginable that someone could emerge from such a battle as unscathed as Shu Xin had, while Juechen’s body had been obliterated completely.
This woman was undoubtedly a formidable enemy. If they encountered her in the future, they would be wise to keep their distance.
Unless they possessed absolute confidence, they must never make the first move against her.
“You killed Juechen?” The elder of the Yin Corpse Demon Sect was stunned. “You actually had the ability to kill him?”
No one knew Juechen better than an elder from the same sect.
When it came to controlling corpse puppets, Juechen could be said to have been blessed by the heavens. He was a young man whom even the sect master had praised repeatedly.
If he truly encountered a life-or-death enemy, he could completely control a Pure-Realm corpse puppet for a short period of time. What difference would that be from facing a Pure-Realm cultivator?
The fact that Shu Xin had managed to kill Juechen meant that she possessed at least one method capable of injuring a Pure-Realm cultivator.
More importantly, Juechen had died so thoroughly that even his corpse puppets had vanished with him.
And more than half of those puppets had been borrowed from the sect.
Now that he was dead and not even a fragment of his remains remained, would the sect not suffer a huge loss?
“Since you killed him, then use your own life to repay the debt.” The elder of the Yin Corpse Demon Sect’s face darkened like rain-heavy clouds, and he immediately moved to attack Shu Xin.
Shu Xin, however, remained neither servile nor overbearing. She merely swept her gaze across the other Dao Sect elders and said calmly, “Has our Dao Sect truly fallen so low that no one remains? Are you going to let an elder of a demonic sect kill a mere Grotto-Heaven cultivator like me in front of everyone?”
Her words were so blunt that the other Dao Sect elders could not simply stand by and do nothing.
If they allowed a demonic cultivator to kill a young Dao Sect cultivator with boundless potential right before their eyes, they might as well give up all reputation and dignity.
Even if Shu Xin were to die, she absolutely could not die under their watch.
“It was nothing more than youthful recklessness.” The sword cultivator elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect stepped forward at once. “Besides, when cultivators spar, life and death have always been left to fate. If you disregard your dignity and kill a junior today, Xu Guan will be coming to your Yin Corpse Demon Sect tomorrow. Why bother?”
What did they know?
Now that Juechen was dead, there was no way to settle the account.
The elder of the Yin Corpse Demon Sect could only swallow his anger in silence, wondering whether he could find one of Juechen’s junior brothers or sisters within the sect and turn them into corpse puppets to make up for the loss.
Otherwise, as the elder in charge of the expedition, he would be punished by the sect. He might even have to sacrifice one of his own corpse puppets to fill the shortfall.
Fortunately, this trip to the Profound Spirit Dao Sect had also allowed him to replenish his supply of corpses.
Thinking of this, the elder of the Yin Corpse Demon Sect felt another pang of regret.
It was a pity that, before the master of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect died, he had destroyed the corpses of the disciples and elders who had fallen in battle right in front of them, reducing them to nothing.
He had done so precisely to prevent the demonic sects from making use of them.
He had even destroyed their primordial spirits completely.
[I’ll remember this Pure-Realm demonic cultivator. The first thing I’ll do when I go to the Yin Corpse Demon Sect in the future is kill him.] The Sword Spirit was feeling immensely pleased with itself. It absolutely would not allow anyone to show killing intent toward its adorable and capable sword master.
Its sword master could not be bullied.
Whether it could completely return to its former peak in the future would depend entirely on Shu Xin’s luck.
Shu Xin patted the hilt of her sword, signaling the Sword Spirit not to rush.
In any case, all these people would die eventually.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, thank goodness you’re all right.” Qu Yougu’s eyes lit up, and he spoke at once.
White Crane Dao Lord felt somewhat helpless.
Although he had arrived late, the sight of so many bones turning to ash within the sword formation had still shaken him deeply.
Originally, White Crane Dao Lord had assumed that Shu Xin and Qu Yougu were evenly matched. In fact, because of the Seeking Gods Sect’s foundations, he had even thought Shu Xin might be slightly weaker than Qu Yougu.
But now it seemed that Qu Yougu’s judgment had been extraordinarily accurate.
Not only was Shu Xin no weaker than him, she was probably the strongest among all the Grotto-Heaven cultivators present.
Most importantly, after the sword formation was broken, she had suddenly found herself facing so many Pure-Realm elders from both the immortal and demonic paths, yet she had not shown the slightest trace of panic. Instead, she had advanced and retreated with perfect composure.
Someone like her was destined to shine in the cultivation world to come.
He only wondered whether, by then, Shu Xin’s eyes might briefly be blinded enough to take a liking to his foolish disciple.
“Elder, Fellow Daoist Shu is truly amazing.” Xie Xianzhi tugged at the sleeve of the sword cultivator elder from her sect. “Elder, you saw that sword formation too, didn’t you?”
The sword cultivator elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect felt somewhat helpless. However, Xie Xianzhi was a prodigy whom their sect had poured countless resources and painstaking effort into cultivating, so he could only soothe her patiently.
“She is indeed very strong, but you are not weak either. Once we return, you must cultivate diligently, understand? To put it bluntly, within a hundred years, you must at least reach the Pure Realm if you want to have the strength to protect yourself. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Xie Xianzhi replied obediently.
“Why don’t you invite this friend of yours to visit our sect?” The sword cultivator elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect glanced at Xie Xianzhi. “You’re not getting any younger.”
It was also time to start considering the matter of finding a Dao companion.
Originally, they had thought Long Ling was already an excellent choice. But now, it seemed there was clearly an even better candidate.
The chaos currently engulfing the cultivation world was obvious to anyone with eyes. Under such circumstances, alliances and strategic cooperation between sects would become an important step toward ensuring their survival in the days ahead.
Xie Xianzhi was pure and naïve by nature. If he became cultivation partners with one of those female cultivators from an aristocratic clan, he would only become a blade in the hands of the great families. That was absolutely unacceptable to the entire Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
The aristocratic clans could serve the sect, but they could never turn the Nine Heavens Dao Sect into the Nine Heavens Clan.
Therefore, Xie Xianzhi’s cultivation partner absolutely could not come from an aristocratic family.
In that regard, Xie Xianzhi had a far greater advantage than Qu Yougu.
The Sword Cultivator Elder took one look at White Crane Dao Lord’s troubled expression and immediately knew what was bothering him.
If the Formless Lineage wanted to rise above the countless Daoist sects, it could not do without alliances with the other lineages.
And as one of the Dao Children of the Myriad Dao Sect, Qu Yougu could not be allowed to choose his cultivation partner entirely according to his own wishes.
“Really?” This was the first time Xie Xianzhi had invited a friend to visit his sect, so he immediately called out, “Fellow Daoist Shu, would you like to come visit our sect?”
“Fellow Daoist Shu, would you like to travel with us?”
Qu Yougu had also extended the same invitation from his side.
[Wow.] The Sword Spirit was getting excited. [What a shame that a certain spectator isn’t here.]
If Situ Jian were still around, this would be interesting.
Then again, perhaps not.
That Little Fox Spirit was far too sly.
He would not invite Shu Xin to visit the Longevity Dao Sect. Instead, he would put on a show of false sweetness and say that he wanted to pay a visit to the Inquiry Sect.
“Thank you both for your kindness, but I already have plans.” Shu Xin naturally had no intention of going to either the Myriad Dao Sect or the Nine Heavens Dao Sect. If she went somewhere unfamiliar, there was a chance someone might discover that something was amiss.
With that, Shu Xin walked directly over to Long Ling and the elders of the Longevity Dao Sect.
“As the saying goes, close neighbors are dearer than distant relatives. The Inquiry Sect and the Longevity Dao Sect have been neighbors for many years, and we’re headed in the same direction as well. I wonder, Senior Sister Long, if you might give me a ride, considering that I once contributed to the Longevity Dao Sect?”
Long Ling and the elders of the Longevity Dao Sect immediately looked displeased.
You left the Longevity Dao Sect and joined another sect, yet you still have the nerve to say something like that?
But Shu Xin had not only said it without the slightest embarrassment—she had said it with complete confidence.
“Ah, I knew it. If the sect finds this troublesome and is unwilling to take in a neighbor like me, then I can only…”
“Junior Sister Shu, what are you saying? Of course you can come with us.” Before Shu Xin could finish, Long Ling had already agreed.
With so many people watching, the Longevity Dao Sect still had to preserve its reputation.
“Besides, Junior Sister Shu possessed the ability to eliminate the fiends of the Yin Corpse Dao Sect and slew so many corpse puppets. She can be considered a great benefactor of the Daoist path. Giving her a ride is hardly any trouble.”
“Fortunately, it was nothing special. Before I left, Senior Divine Flame from the rear mountain of our sect merely gave me a protective blessing.” Shu Xin had no qualms about finding someone else to take the blame for her.
The Divine Flame Spirit Illustration Book?
The few Wugou-Realm cultivators who knew the truth about the Inquiry Sect immediately understood.
The elders of the Longevity Dao Sect understood it even better.
If not for that immortal artifact, how could the Inquiry Sect have continued acting so boldly under their very noses for so many years?
But Shu Xin had transferred to the Inquiry Sect from the Longevity Dao Sect. Could it be that Xu Guan had even brought her before the Divine Flame Spirit Illustration Book? Could it be that he was cultivating Shu Xin as the next sect master?
“Ah.” White Crane Dao Lord patted his disciple on the shoulder, while Qu Yougu still did not understand why.
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect was likewise helpless.
If Shu Xin were merely the Inquiry Sect’s senior disciple, then given her talent and innate constitution, persuading the sect would not have been particularly difficult.
After all, who would refuse a female cultivator with the potential to reach the Wugou Realm if she were willing to marry into their sect?
But if she were the sect master, that would be an entirely different matter.
The disciples of the younger generation might not understand, but how could the Wugou-Realm elders with deep roots and powerful connections within their sects not know about the Divine Flame Spirit Illustration Book?
If they did not know, how could they have allowed Xu Guan—the youngest Wugou-Realm cultivator—to remain above them for so many years? He would have been ambushed and strangled the moment he left the sect.
To survive and thrive in the cultivation world, one could lack talent and aptitude, but one absolutely could not lack powerful backing.
A sect master could command the Divine Flame Spirit Illustration Book and stand on equal footing with an Earthly Immortal.
“I never imagined that Fellow Daoist Shu would have encountered such an opportunity. Truly, this is cause for celebration.” The elder of the Longevity Dao Sect immediately became much more cordial toward Shu Xin. “Just come aboard, Fellow Daoist Shu. We’re neighbors—there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
Long Ling was somewhat puzzled by how quickly the elder’s attitude had changed, but her instincts told her that it had something to do with the “Senior Divine Flame” Shu Xin had mentioned.
When had the Inquiry Sect gained another figure of such importance?
She would have to ask about it carefully after returning.
“Since everyone has obtained what they came for, why are we still staying here?” an elder of the Carefree Dao Sect said.
“Indeed. We should return first,” an elder of the Truth-Seeking Dao Sect added.
The most important thing now was to return and protect their sect’s Wugou-Realm cultivator as they attempted to break through to the Mahayana Realm. There was no point wasting time here. Although the Profound Spirit Dao Sect certainly still had plenty of treasures, they were not worth the effort and time required to continue searching.
From this point onward, this place could be left to the second- and third-rate sects and wandering cultivators to explore for treasures.
However, all the Daoist sects and demonic sects present today remembered the young female cultivator named Shu Xin.
At the very least, from this day onward, Shu Xin had truly made a name for herself throughout the cultivation world.
Far away, tens of thousands of li from the Profound Spirit Dao Sect—
a female cultivator slowly awoke.
Who else could it be but Pei Qiyun?
She only remembered saying that she would fight to the death alongside her master for the Profound Spirit Dao Sect. After that, she had suddenly lost consciousness and remembered nothing more.
At that moment, a secret message suddenly appeared in her mind.
It contained the means of protection her master had left for her, along with the locations of resources the Profound Spirit Dao Sect had stored away in its early years.
Her master had also left behind a divine sense message, advising her not to seek revenge. She was to take the resources and hide far away, then rebuild the Profound Spirit Dao Sect when the time came. If she truly could not find an opportunity, then living out a peaceful life would be fine as well.
And the item desired by the demonic cultivator who had rescued her was also part of their agreement. Naturally, the Profound Spirit Dao Sect would keep its word.
“Now that you’re awake, you can tell me what was in the secret message.” The cloaked cultivator spoke softly. “You should have finished reading what your master left for you.”
Pei Qiyun regarded the demonic cultivator before her warily.
“There’s no need to look at me like that. All I want is the secret message.” The cultivator’s tone remained indifferent. “You should know who your enemies are. Your enemies are every Daoist and demonic sect in existence. Given your aptitude, you have no hope of taking revenge.”
“You want our sect’s divine ability because you intend to use it against the Earthly Immortal,” Pei Qiyun sneered. “Do you really think you have what it takes?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” the demonic cultivator replied calmly. “You and I are not the same.”
