“Why does Little Ling look so pale?”
The newcomer was Murong Pei, an elder of the Everlasting Dao Sect who had reached the Immaculate Realm—and Long Ling’s martial uncle.
As one of the acting sect master’s disciples, Long Ling’s status within the Everlasting Dao Sect went without saying. Although Murong Pei came from one of the sect’s foremost cultivation clans, he never put on airs in front of Long Ling. On the contrary, he had always shown her great care and concern, and could be said to have been extremely optimistic about her future.
“Martial Uncle Murong, you should take a look at this.” After hesitating for a long while, Long Ling finally took out all the accounts Shu Xin had once handled. “The entries marked here are the suspicious ones. During the nearly one hundred years Shu Xin served as an outer-sect elder, she embezzled several million spirit stones from our sect. More than eighty percent of those spirit stones were sent, through various means, to different cultivation clans. Your Murong clan was one of them.”
Murong Pei swept his divine sense over the jade slip and immediately saw everything recorded inside clearly.
“She embezzled only three or four million spirit stones over a hundred years—an average of merely thirty or forty thousand a year.” Murong Pei smiled. “That amount is nothing worth mentioning. You should investigate Shu Xin’s other problems instead.”
“But aside from those spirit stones, she also took quite a few kickbacks. At the same time, she monopolized certain resources in the outer sect, buying low and selling high. The wealth she amassed that way was certainly no small amount.” Long Ling spoke seriously. “Shu Xin couldn’t have accomplished so much alone. There must be a large group behind her, which is why none of this came to light for so many years. I had to spend a great deal of time digging up even these account books. Some were destroyed for various reasons, and I’m afraid the missing accounts were where the real bulk of the embezzlement lay. According to the sect’s rules, these matters are already enough for us to take action against Shu Xin.”
“Disciple-Niece, since you were willing to tell me all this, I imagine you’ve already made up your mind.” Murong Pei continued smiling kindly. “Some things are understood by you, me, and everyone else. So long as no one says them aloud, everyone can continue living in harmony. But once they’re brought into the open, things become difficult to resolve. Shu Xin is only one person. No matter how powerful she is, she’s merely at the Grotto-Heaven Realm. Even if she reached the Immaculate Realm, she would still be no more than my equal. There is no place for her in the Mahayana Realm. What kind of waves can one Immaculate Realm cultivator possibly make?”
Long Ling frowned. She seemed about to say something more.
But Murong Pei stopped her.
“If you insist on investigating this matter to the end, some of these clans may become afraid that the sect intends to discard them once they’ve served their purpose. If that happens, the commotion will be far greater than anything Shu Xin alone could cause.” Murong Pei was still smiling, but his words carried an overwhelming pressure. “These are troubled times, with the world already swaying in the wind and rain. Are you truly willing to oppose so many clans within the sect for the sake of one person?”
Long Ling gritted her teeth and did not answer immediately.
In truth, she knew perfectly well that investigating all these clans merely to kill Shu Xin was absolutely impossible.
The reason she had told Murong Pei was simply that she wanted someone else to make the decision for her.
On the other hand, she had keenly sensed that if she let this opportunity to kill Shu Xin slip away, she might never get another one.
Whether or not to act left her deeply conflicted.
“Disciple-Niece, your master is the foremost of the Nine Sons of Longevity and the acting sect master. Once he emerges from seclusion and reaches the Mahayana Realm, he will become the true sect master. At that point, you will automatically become one of the next generation’s Nine Sons of Longevity, and you’ll have the opportunity to advance to the Mahayana Realm as well. But you should understand that in every generation, the Nine Sons of Longevity have changed many times along the way. Only those who survive to the end can truly remain among the Nine Sons of Longevity.”
With so many clans producing countless talented heirs every year, did it really have to be Long Ling?
Even within Long Ling’s own family, there were plenty of formidable descendants.
If she insisted on investigating, would she also have to investigate her own clan?
“I understand. Thank you for the warning, Martial Uncle.” In the end, Long Ling yielded.
Murong Pei smiled. With a casual motion, he destroyed the jade slip Long Ling had spent so much time compiling, leaving not the slightest trace behind. “You need to take the long view. Even if Shu Xin is temporarily more famous than you and more talented, you needn’t worry. After all, you have the sect’s support and hope of reaching the Mahayana Realm in the future. Shu Xin, on the other hand, will ultimately become just one of countless buried talents. Disciple-Niece, think carefully about what I’ve said. Don’t make the wrong decision in the future.”
“Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncle.” Long Ling nodded.
【How disappointing. I thought she might attack you.】 The Sword Spirit sounded rather regretful. If Long Ling had made a move, all the Immaculate Realm cultivators aboard the Everlasting Dao Sect’s flying vessel would have become its enemies.
It might not have been able to cleanse its blade with every single one of them, but at least ninety percent of those cultivators would have been useful.
“Are you really disappointed that she didn’t attack?” Shu Xin didn’t indulge it in the slightest and immediately mocked it. “You’re obviously just drooling over the bodies of those Immaculate Realm cultivators. Since I dared to board the Everlasting Dao Sect’s flying vessel, I never expected it to be safe. The Everlasting Dao Sect is entangled in a web of complicated relationships. Since Long Ling comes from a cultivation clan, she is bound to be constrained by it. It’s not that I look down on them, but the Everlasting Dao Sect simply cannot produce people who are capable of breaking free from their own class and ignoring their vested interests.”
The Sword Spirit was still regretful. 【How about we cause a little trouble? We could quietly kill one or two Immaculate Realm cultivators—perhaps those few who look like bad people at a glance.】
Shu Xin said nothing. She merely shoved the sword firmly into its sheath.
It seemed that after being treated to two lavish feasts, the Sword Spirit had grown accustomed to gourmet meals and could no longer stomach this plain rice and vegetables.
“Put some strength into it. Haven’t you eaten?” Shu Xin rolled her eyes and snapped at the disciples from the cultivation clans. “You can’t even wave a fan properly? Have you never been waited on at home?”
It wasn’t that these clan disciples had never considered resisting.
But the strongest among them was only at the Dao Infant Realm. How could they possibly be a match for Shu Xin?
Even if they tried to escape, Shu Xin could politely visit their masters and senior martial uncles, exchange a few words with them, and then have the young men bound and sent right back to her.
These little fools couldn’t even flatter a female cultivator properly?
What use were they?
The elders of the Everlasting Dao Sect, however, felt that Shu Xin was the sort of person who remembered those who had once helped her. She still remembered her past ties with the Everlasting Dao Sect and was willing to offer guidance in cultivation to these junior Dao Infant disciples—a favor that countless people would beg for and never receive.
If all they had to do was serve Shu Xin, what did it matter?
“See? The reason you were able to hold yourselves above everyone else before was because you were valuable to your clans. But now, my value is greater than all of yours combined, so I advise you to obediently serve as my lackeys.”
Shu Xin smiled sweetly at the cultivators from the various clans. “If you don’t serve me well, I’ll go to your clan heads and tell them I want a few male consorts. When that happens, you’ll have to let me torment you for the rest of your lives. Even if I kill you, no one will hold me accountable.”
As soon as she said this, the clan cultivators began fawning over Shu Xin. Yet they dared not be too attentive, lest Shu Xin really ask their clans for them.
Marriage alliances were one thing—but it depended on who was involved.
Shu Xin was clearly tormenting them on purpose. Only a fool would throw himself at her.
“Hmm, I’ve finally returned to the sect after so long. I can’t go back empty-handed.” Shu Xin smiled. “Come on, go buy me some things. Prepare everything according to this jade slip. I know you have them. Either pay up to avert disaster, or repay me with your bodies. The choice is yours.”
The clan cultivators all chose the former.
They were truly frightened of Shu Xin.
This woman was even more terrifying than their clan heads.
Fortunately, Shu Xin had never agreed to marry into any of their clans back then. Otherwise, wouldn’t their entire clans have ended up taking the surname Shu?
The Sword Spirit watched Shu Xin with some exasperation.
And she still had the nerve to criticize it?
Clearly, Shu Xin herself was having far too much fun.
Fortunately, the flying vessel of the Longevity Dao Sect was extremely fast.
By the time they reached the territory of the Inquiry God Sect, Shu Xin was already standing on the deck, poised and ready to strike.
“Thank you, Senior Sister Long. Thank you, Elders.” Shu Xin was the very picture of courtesy and politeness, showing no intention of provoking anyone at all. “You’ve truly been a great help this time.”
“Junior Sister Shu, there’s no need to thank us.” Long Ling had also adjusted her state of mind. Since she had already decided not to attack Shu Xin, she naturally would not let her displeasure show on her face. “I hope we’ll meet again someday.”
“Then goodbye, Senior Sister Long.”
Shu Xin waved at them, then flew away on her sword, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Watching Shu Xin’s carefree figure, Long Ling recalled how she had once been trapped within the sect, smiling at everyone she met. Her heart was filled with conflicting emotions.
So be it.
Everyone had their own fate.
Who could say what the future would bring?
Within the Inquiry God Sect.
The moment Shu Xin landed, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book whisked her straight to the rear mountain.
The Sword Spirit nearly reacted on instinct, but Shu Xin fortunately stopped it in time.
“Senior Book Spirit, what happened?” Shu Xin’s feet had not even touched the ground before she was dragged to the rear mountain. She was completely baffled.
[ Xu Guan is in seclusion. At most, I can buy him thirty years, ] the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book manifested in a string of characters. [ I’ve concealed the workings of heaven from him. He told me to remind you not to forget what he said back then. ]
In other words, Shu Xin and Yi Renjie needed to hurry down the mountain—and take the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book with them.
“That soon?” Shu Xin frowned. “Did something stimulate him?”
[…You’ll have to ask yourself about that, ] the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book replied helplessly.
“Um, I brought back the cultivation technique from the Profound Spirit Dao Sect simply because I didn’t want to leave empty-handed.” Shu Xin rubbed her head awkwardly. “Actually, I never intended to take it. But when I saw how fiercely everyone was fighting over it, I couldn’t help joining in. Something no one wants isn’t necessarily worthless, but anything everyone is fighting over is definitely good stuff.”
More importantly, Long Ling and Yin Rushi were easy targets. If several Immaculate Realm cultivators had been fighting over that treasured book, Shu Xin would have fled as far away as possible.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book seemed completely at a loss for words.
“Ahem. Master going into seclusion is a good thing. I’ll wish him success right now. Once he reaches the Mahayana stage, I’ll have more confidence when I travel the world in the future.” Shu Xin laughed. “Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll do everything I can to protect the sect. My junior brothers and sisters are also old enough to go down the mountain and gain experience. As for everything else, you should listen to me. I have more experience.”
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book seemed to want to say something else, but it was merely a Book Spirit. How could it possibly be a match for Shu Xin?
“Senior Book Spirit, if I run away too, wouldn’t that be the same as announcing to the world that something is wrong with the Inquiry God Sect?” Shu Xin smiled. “Don’t worry. Since I dare say this, I can certainly protect the sect. Rather than trusting Master, you should trust me.”
With that, she drew her sword just slightly.
“Shh.” Shu Xin put a finger to her lips. “I believe Senior Book Spirit will keep my secret, won’t you?”
[ If you dare tell anyone, I’ll chop you into pieces! ] the Sword Spirit declared boldly.
The Book Spirit immediately fell silent.
There was a clear suppression in levels. It truly was no match for the Sword Spirit.
Now that even the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book no longer dared to object, who in the Inquiry God Sect would dare stand against Shu Xin?
In fact, the moment Shu Xin returned, it was as if the Inquiry God Sect had suddenly found its backbone.
“Perfect. I have something to discuss with all of you as well.” Seeing her junior brothers and sisters crowd around her, Shu Xin spoke seriously. “Come with me.”
Everyone followed Shu Xin to her cave dwelling.
“Yirenjie, did you tell them about Master?” Shu Xin asked.
“No. Before you came back, Senior Sister, I didn’t say anything.” Yi Renjie shook his head.
“What’s so secretive?” Cao Ru thought this meant the First and Second Senior Brothers had a secret between them—and they were actually keeping it from everyone else.
“Then that works out. I was going to tell you anyway.” Shu Xin thought for a moment before explaining simply, “Master will be in seclusion for the next few decades, so I’ll be taking over the affairs of the Inquiry God Sect for the time being. Who agrees, and who objects?”
“We all agree, First Senior Sister.”
“First Senior Sister, are you planning to seize the position of sect master? That’s fine with us.”
“First Senior Sister, are you finally going to lead us in conquering the world?”
…
Who knew what these disciples and servants were thinking?
Shu Xin could not help laughing.
“What are you all imagining? I’m only managing things temporarily. However, during the years Master is in seclusion, I’ll remain here in the Inquiry God Sect to guard it. First, to prevent anyone from attacking the mountain. Second, after breaking through to the Grotto-Heaven Realm, I’ve spent all this time traveling outside, so it’s also time for me to settle down and consolidate my cultivation. In exchange, you’ll have to go down the mountain and broaden your horizons.” Shu Xin smiled. “This time, unlike when I took you down the mountain before, you’ll have to rely entirely on yourselves. You can’t depend on me or Master anymore.”
“First Senior Sister, with Master in seclusion, isn’t it inappropriate for us to leave the mountain?” Yuan Dawei instinctively sensed that something was wrong. “It’s only thirty years. Can’t we wait until Master comes out of seclusion before going on our travels?”
“No. There’s no time to waste.” Shu Xin shook her head. “You’ve all seen what happened to the Xuanling Dao Sect. The reason Master went into seclusion in such a hurry was that he realized the cultivation world is only going to become more chaotic from here on out. That’s why he has to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible. The period ahead may be the worst stretch of your lives so far, but it will also be the best opportunity you’ll have over the next hundred, or even several hundred, years. You must make the most of this time to raise your cultivation. Otherwise, you’ll only become burdens holding everyone else back.”
At this point, Shu Xin glanced at her junior brothers and sisters. “I imagine none of you wants to be captured by the enemy and used to threaten me or Master again, right?”
The others who had still been planning to object immediately fell silent.
Being captured and used as hostages the last time had indeed left them with a considerable psychological shadow.
“Good. Then it’s settled. All of you will descend the mountain and travel the world for roughly twenty or thirty years.” Shu Xin spoke solemnly. “I won’t bother mentioning scams, pig-butchering schemes, and the like. You also need to be especially careful of something that’s even more terrifying than a pig-butchering scam.”
“Please enlighten us, Senior Sister.” The moment they heard that there was something even more frightening than a pig-butchering scam, everyone became instantly alert.
“Falling in love!” Shu Xin declared with exceptional seriousness. “Listen carefully. Whether the other person is a cold and aloof Buddhist cultivator, a gentle senior brother, a beautiful senior sister, or a charming junior sister, you are not allowed to develop feelings for them during these twenty or thirty years. In particular, you absolutely must not start a romantic relationship during this period. Before you leave, every one of you will take several disguise pills. The more ordinary and forgettable you look, the better. Understood?”
Their sect was in the middle of a period of rising success. Starting a relationship at a time like this would bring nothing but harm.
What if someone had deliberately set up a beauty trap targeted specifically at them?
The junior brothers and sisters all committed her words to memory.
“Good. That settles it. Go and get your things in order. You’ll all leave together at this time tomorrow. When you return from your travels, I’ll personally inspect the progress of your cultivation. If you haven’t made any noticeable improvement, I’ll cut off your allowances completely, and you’ll also receive my punishment. Believe me—you won’t want to find out what my punishment is.”
Everyone shuddered and obediently left.
Even though Yi Renjie still wanted to say something, in the end he kept his mouth shut.
Since Senior Sister refused to explain the matter clearly, he naturally wouldn’t say anything either.
[You’ve finally decided to settle down and enter seclusion?] The Sword Spirit was overjoyed. [When are you planning to attempt a breakthrough into the Immaculate Realm?]
“Ah, I was just saying that casually. I’ll wait until I feel ready.” Shu Xin thought about it.
[What do you mean, ‘feel ready’?]
“I mean when I feel that I’m almost ready to attempt a breakthrough into the Immaculate Realm—and that I’m certain to succeed.” Shu Xin spoke with complete seriousness. “It’s a mysterious and indescribable intuition among cultivators. Once you feel that the timing is right, you simply go for it.”
[Nonsense. How have I never heard of that before?] The Sword Spirit felt that Shu Xin was trying to fool it.
It was rare for her to tell the truth. Why did no one ever believe her?
Shu Xin sighed.
With the complete downfall of the Xuanling Dao Sect, nearly every sect that had participated in dividing up its spoils had returned home laden with gains.
But to the upper echelons of those sects, the most valuable prize was undoubtedly the two positions that had been left vacant by the deaths of the Mahayana cultivators.
At present, the Immaculate Realm cultivators within the various sects who possessed deep foundations and a chance of breaking through to the Mahayana stage had almost all entered seclusion one after another, hoping to try their luck.
Naturally, there were also Immaculate Realm cultivators who knew they had no hope of succeeding and had simply chosen to remain outside in peace.
Meanwhile, within the sects, all the cultivators skilled in divination and deduction had gathered together.
The Eight Great Dao Sects and the Ten Great Demon Sects were all doing more or less the same thing.
They were attempting to deduce which individuals had the greatest chance of ascending to the Mahayana stage this time. If the person in question was one of their own disciples, they would naturally protect them at all costs. But if it was a disciple of another sect, they would find a way to sabotage them.
The problem was that everyone was doing the same thing—deducing the fates of others while simultaneously protecting their own disciples from being deduced. After all this back-and-forth, there weren’t many predictions that could be considered accurate.
After calculating and recalculating, they could only barely arrive at one conclusion: this time, the Mahayana cultivators would emerge from the Dao Sects.
The Dao Sects were naturally delighted by this result, while the Demon Sects looked grim.
Their relations with the Dao Sects had already been poor on the surface in recent years. Now that the Xuanling Dao Sect had finally fallen, if the new Mahayana cultivator still emerged from among the Dao Sects, what difference would that make from meat rotting in the same pot?
Since they couldn’t calculate the answer, they would use the simplest method.
“Take these invitations and pay a visit to every renowned Immaculate Realm cultivator in the cultivation world,” the Sect Master of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect instructed. “You must meet them in person and confirm that they are not in seclusion. If you discover that someone has entered seclusion, spread the news immediately. Naturally, someone will go and challenge them.”
“Master, wouldn’t that offend a whole host of Immaculate Realm cultivators?” one elder couldn’t help asking. “Besides, among those qualified to advance to the Mahayana stage, there are only the Immaculate Realm cultivators from a few of our Dao Sects.”
“Foolish!” the Sect Master of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect rebuked angrily. “How many geniuses and outstanding talents are there in the world? Do you truly believe that every hero under heaven belongs to one of our Dao Sects? At a time like this, those Immaculate Realm cultivators who have remained outside the sects are actually safer. Among our Dao Sects, everyone will inevitably fight for the opportunity, and it will be easy to affect the state of mind of those Immaculate Realm cultivators. But those who have found some secluded place outside and hidden themselves away—who can find them?”
In fact, during the process of attempting to break through to the Mahayana stage, they didn’t even need to act themselves. They only had to wait for their opponents to make a mistake.
Those cultivators sent out into the world were merely there to muddy the waters.
The true killing move remained within the sect. He would personally arrange and direct the efforts to obstruct the cultivators of the other Dao Sects.
Especially the few cultivators from the Longevity Dao Sect—they were the top priority to guard against!
“Yes, Sect Master.”
Similar events were taking place in the other Dao Sects as well.
Although the results of the deductions were unclear, the people most frequently guessed to have a chance of breaking through were still the Immaculate Realm cultivators from the Longevity Dao Sect and the Carefree Dao Sect.
Every one of them had remained in the Immaculate Realm for five or six hundred years, and each had an Earthly Immortal as their master.
Given such an opportunity, they naturally had the greatest chance of advancing.
Within the Longevity Dao Sect, apart from the Acting Sect Master, who was in seclusion, as well as Gong Changshou and Zong An, the remaining six people had all gathered together.
Ning Weixuan was naturally present at this meeting as well.
“These past few days alone, I’ve caught at least a dozen spies.”
“That’s nothing. I’ve received so many invitations at my cave abode lately that I’ve lost count. They all claim to be inviting me to a banquet, but I think the banquet is just an excuse. They’re really checking whether I’m in seclusion.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. Everyone assumes that our Longevity Dao Sect is certain to produce a Mahayana cultivator.”
…
Everyone chatted animatedly, one person after another.
Ning Weixuan, however, remained silent from beginning to end.
If not for his bad luck—having only just recovered from his injuries—he would certainly have been among the cultivators entering seclusion to break through to the Mahayana realm this time.
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu exchanged a glance, a plan already taking shape in their minds.
Ning Weixuan was the perfect opening.
