Acting Sect Master Yushan Zi of the Longevity Dao Sect was not only the foremost of the Nine Sons of Longevity, but also unquestionably the second most influential person in the sect.
As the eldest disciple of an Earth Immortal, he had watched his junior brothers and sisters come and go, one after another, while he himself had remained firmly in that position.
Five hundred years ago, he had already become the Longevity Dao Sect’s acting sect master, possessing cultivation at the peak of the Immaculate Realm.
All he had been waiting for was an opportunity.
An opportunity for a Mahayana cultivator to die.
Thus, when he finally passed the trial of the Three Winds and Four Fires and successfully summoned the Mahayana tribulation, nearly everyone felt the heavy stone in their hearts finally fall.
If even Daoist Yushan Zi could not become a Mahayana cultivator, then it would be even more impossible for the other cultivators of the Immaculate Realm.
At that moment, Gong Changshou and Zong An, who had been in secluded cultivation, were also affected by the overwhelming aura of the heavenly tribulation. They had no choice but to temporarily end their seclusion and come out to observe their senior brother’s tribulation.
If they could gain even a little insight from it, it would greatly benefit their own attempts to break through to the Mahayana stage.
Naturally, this sight filled the disciples of the Longevity Dao Sect with joy and pride.
“Wonderful! It’s the acting sect master. Once he survives the tribulation, he’ll be the true sect master!”
“Is our Longevity Dao Sect finally going to welcome a Mahayana sect master?”
“This should be the first Mahayana cultivator our Longevity Dao Sect has had in a thousand years!”
…
Even the disciples working as servants in the Longevity Dao Sect put down their chores and looked up at the spectacle. The supervisors did not reprimand them.
At that moment, countless disciples found a similar thought taking root in their hearts.
What would it be like if the person undergoing the tribulation right now were them?
Wen Jingshu, Fu Ge, Ning Weixuan, and the others also emerged from seclusion one after another to watch this earth-shaking Mahayana tribulation.
Situ Jian could feel the spiritual energy around them rapidly diminishing.
A sweep of his divine sense revealed that the spiritual flowers and herbs planted throughout the Longevity Dao Sect had begun to lose their spiritual energy. Their petals gradually withered.
As for the spirit beasts being raised by the sect, those that had developed sentience were at least clever enough to hide. But the beasts that possessed only spiritual energy, without enough intelligence to match, gradually grew dull-eyed. They became more savage and less spirited.
Was this really a tribulation?
Or was it an indiscriminate plundering of spiritual energy?
As Situ Jian observed the situation around him, the sense of absurdity in his heart grew stronger.
His cave dwelling was located fairly close to the sect’s core area. After all, he was now Gong Changshou’s disciple, so his living quarters had naturally been upgraded to a much better place.
As a result, this cave dwelling, which was overflowing with spiritual energy, was drained dry in an instant. The change was especially obvious. In contrast, those cave dwellings that had never possessed much spiritual energy to begin with did not feel the difference as strongly.
But it would not be long before the disciples recovered from their excitement and pride at sharing in the sect’s glory and realized that something was wrong.
With less spiritual energy, their cultivation would progress more slowly.
They would even discover that the monthly allowances provided by the sect had been drastically reduced.
Why had their lives become more difficult now that the sect had gained a Mahayana cultivator?
Because nearly all of the sect’s spiritual energy had converged upon that single Mahayana cultivator.
Why did the Longevity Dao Sect have only one Earth Immortal and no Mahayana cultivators?
Naturally, it was because they could not afford to support one.
Yet even if they could not afford it, once a sect truly gained a new Mahayana cultivator, no sect would willingly abandon such a person. The reduction in resources would not fall upon core disciples like Situ Jian.
They would simply make things harder for the ordinary disciples.
It could be considered a congratulatory gift for the newly ascended Mahayana cultivator.
If supporting one Mahayana cultivator was already like this, then what must the cultivation world have been like in ancient times, when Earth Immortals were everywhere?
Not a single blade of grass would have been left alive.
The Slaughter All Immortals technique had indeed been born for a reason.
Situ Jian was already feeling this much. Naturally, the cultivators who had gone to great lengths to come to the Longevity Dao Sect and gather information looked even more grim.
“A mere Mahayana tribulation has already drained the spiritual energy in the surrounding area. The sect master was right. We absolutely cannot allow the Longevity Dao Sect to produce two Mahayana cultivators. Even if the Longevity Dao Sect does not wish to wage war against us, it will be forced to slaughter us for the sake of its own survival.” The elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect turned to Elder Yao of the Carefree Dao Sect. “Now that you’ve experienced it for yourself, what do you think?”
“It’s very bad.” Elder Yao was equally worried. “Once Master Yushan successfully survives the tribulation, he will certainly pass his experience on to his junior brothers and sisters. If the Longevity Dao Sect truly gains one Earth Immortal and two Mahayana cultivators, how could it possibly tolerate the other sects standing alongside it?”
The Profound Spirit Dao Sect could support only two Mahayana cultivators.
The Longevity Dao Sect, however, had to support an additional Earth Immortal. Wouldn’t it need to plunder the entire foundation of another sect like the Profound Spirit Dao Sect just to make ends meet?
And when that time came, who would be the next Profound Spirit Dao Sect?
The small sects were beneath the Longevity Dao Sect’s notice, and they would not be enough to fill its stomach anyway. That left only them as targets.
“Is there any way to stop Master Yushan from surviving the tribulation?” the elder of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect transmitted through divine sense. “What treasures did the sect give you before you came? This is not the time to keep them hidden. Take them all out.”
“There are very few things that can stop Master Yushan from surviving the tribulation, and the chances of success are extremely low.” Elder Yao shook his head. “However, the sect master issued a secret order and told me to act as I see fit. Once Master Yushan becomes a Mahayana cultivator, the other eight members of the Nine Sons of Longevity will inevitably begin openly and covertly fighting among themselves. We must cut off the possibility of any of them reaching a higher level.”
Elder Yan of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect fell silent for a moment before speaking as well. “Our sect master said the same thing.”
But the Longevity Dao Sect was extremely wary of outside cultivators. How could they possibly find a suitable opportunity to incite internal chaos and succeed?
Just as they were struggling with this problem, a disciple of the Longevity Dao Sect dressed in a steward’s uniform walked openly toward them.
“This humble one greets Elder Yan and Elder Yao.” The steward smiled faintly as he looked at the two men. “I have been ordered by my master to deliver a message to you. Please be sure to seize this opportunity. Once it has passed, there will never be another chance to stop the Longevity Dao Sect from rising completely.”
The same scene played out before the elders of the other sects.
The elders agreed to cooperate almost instantly.
An opportunity like this would not come twice.
It seemed that there were plenty of people within the Longevity Dao Sect who had planted their own hidden agents.
“Ah, I really want to go up there and chop that man into pieces.” The Sword Spirit’s blade trembled with fury, but Shu Xin held it down with all her strength.
“I know you really want to kill him, but you need to hold back. If you kill him, I’ll be chopped into pieces too.” Shu Xin hugged the sword tightly and refused to let go. “Don’t rush. When the time comes, I’ll kill them even if you don’t ask me to.”
“Fine. Let go. I know how serious the situation is.” The Sword Spirit also understood the circumstances. It could not risk Shu Xin’s life.
“That’s more like it.” Shu Xin had loosened her grip on the sword, but she still couldn’t bring herself to let go.
She was mainly worried that the Sword Spirit might try to lure her in by pretending to give up.
“A Mahayana tribulation is a rare sight. I might as well take a look.” Shu Xin took a deep breath. “So this is what the aura of a Mahayana tribulation feels like. It’s so… Wait a second. Where did my spiritual energy go?”
Shu Xin suddenly opened her eyes and released her divine sense to investigate.
In an instant, it felt as if the sky had collapsed.
She hurried over to the spirit-gathering array near the Questioning God Sect and discovered that the spirit stones placed there had all turned into ordinary rocks, not a trace of spiritual energy remaining in them.
She checked several other spirit stones, only to find that they were all the same.
Even the spirit flowers and spirit herbs she had painstakingly planted had only just begun to sprout, yet they already looked as though they were about to wither.
After examining the entire sect, Shu Xin found that the spiritual energy within the Questioning God Sect had practically dwindled to nothing. The “celestial atmosphere” she had spent a fortune creating had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Shu Xin rubbed her eyes. She only just managed not to faint from anger.
“My spirit stones! My spirit flowers and spirit herbs! Aaaahhh—” Shu Xin was on the verge of breaking down. This was all money she had painstakingly conned, swindled, and scrounged together.
[This is what happens with Mahayana cultivators. They absorb all the spiritual energy around them.] The Sword Spirit sighed. [Mahayana cultivators are comparatively harmless. They only absorb the spiritual energy freely scattered in the outside world. If it were a Land Immortal, however, they could absorb the spiritual energy from other cultivators whenever the ambient spiritual energy was insufficient. Wherever they went, they would leave behind a land devoid of life. Later, as the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth grew scarce, the situation reversed. Spiritual energy began to be drawn from their own bodies instead, so they no longer dared to travel about.]
Spiritual energy did not simply return intact after being absorbed by the Land Immortals and killing them.
On the contrary, spiritual energy suffered losses.
To put it simply, if a Land Immortal needed to absorb one hundred units of spiritual energy to sustain himself, then after he was killed, at most thirty units would be released.
Immortality, spells, and divine abilities all came at a price.
Shu Xin’s eyes nearly spat fire.
“You’re right. These cultivators all deserve to die!” Shu Xin said through gritted teeth.
[Calm down, calm down. It’s not as if your spirit stones were acquired honestly.]
“They were still earned by working my fingers to the bone and playing the obedient grandchild for people.” Shu Xin raised her chin proudly. “Once the money reaches my hands, it’s mine. I’ve never even met that Mahayana cultivator, yet he has the nerve to demand such a hefty gift from me?”
What the hell?!
Seeing Shu Xin like this, the Sword Spirit was reassured.
Their motives might be different, but its sword master was still on the same side as it.
“Is there any way to stop my spiritual energy from being absorbed?” Shu Xin asked again. “His tribulation will probably take some time. He can’t keep draining the spiritual energy outside day after day, can he?”
[No.] The Sword Spirit’s voice was cold. [This kind of absorption is normal. Unless he is willing to expend his own spiritual energy, there is no way around it. But doing so would exhaust a cultivator’s own potential. It’s like how you humans will unconsciously step on ants while walking down the road, isn’t it?]
Shu Xin glared at the sky with an unfriendly look in her eyes. She wanted to kill them even more now.
At that moment, Master Yushan of the Longevity Dao Sect was undergoing his tribulation. He suddenly sensed that something was amiss deep within his heart.
He opened his eyes and released his divine sense, gazing into the distance. Then he let out a derisive laugh.
How many of the cultivators here truly wished him well? Even among his fellow disciples, most merely envied and resented him.
The path to the Great Dao was a solitary one. The farther one climbed, the more one had to accept that there would be no one left by their side.
Meanwhile, inside the Blood Demon Sect, a large group of cultivators knelt below.
Yin Rushi had none of his usual arrogance. Instead, he was as docile as a rabbit.
When an ordinary villain encountered someone as evil as the Blood Demon Ancestor, he became as harmless as a little white flower.
“You went out and worked so hard for so long, yet Wuweizi’s disciple is still about to successfully undergo the Mahayana tribulation.” The Blood Demon Ancestor looked down at the cultivators below in disappointment. “The Nine Sons of Longevity—you didn’t kill a single one of them?”
The demonic cultivators below were practically on the verge of tears.
What ability did they have to kill the Nine Sons of Longevity?
They had already found it extremely difficult to kill even a few Immaculate Realm cultivators from other sects just to make up the numbers.
“Since none of you are of any use, I’ll replace the lot of you.” The Blood Demon Ancestor snapped his fingers.
The demonic cultivators kneeling in the last row suddenly began exploding one after another. Only a few primordial spirits remained, drifting about the great hall and refusing to disperse.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
One demonic cultivator after another exploded.
The feeling of waiting for death while silently counting down how long it would be until one’s turn was simply unbearable.
“Ancestor, please hear me out. I have something to say.” Yin Rushi had no intention of dying so easily. He immediately stepped forward and knocked his head against the floor. “This disciple has something important to report.”
“Oh?” The Blood Demon Ancestor stopped. “Speak.”
“While this disciple was in the Xuanling Dao Sect, I discovered something interesting. The Ancestor may find it worth hearing.” Cold sweat poured down Yin Rushi’s forehead, but he still ran through everything in his mind before carefully choosing his words. “The first matter concerns Shu Xin of the Questioning God Sect. I heard that the Ancestor’s incarnation met her before. I wonder whether you know that this woman seems to possess a sword technique capable of completely erasing a cultivator’s primordial spirit and blood essence. Furthermore, after investigating, this disciple concluded that she is probably connected to a Mahayana demonic sword cultivator. The Longevity Dao Sect believes that you, Ancestor, are the one backing her.”
To ordinary people, it looked as though Shu Xin had simply cut down her opponents, after which the sword light dissolved their flesh and blood, leaving only their bones behind.
But to an expert of the Blood Demon Sect like Yin Rushi, it was perfectly clear whether a cultivator’s vital essence and flesh had been absorbed or destroyed.
That was why he had left so readily at the time. One reason was that he did not want to offend Shu Xin; the other was that he no longer wished to become entangled with the Dao Sect’s people.
In truth, no one could say for certain what sort of schemes those Dao Sect cultivators were plotting behind the scenes.
Afterward, Yin Rushi searched for a great deal of information about Shu Xin and eventually uncovered a few clues.
As long as a person lived in this world, they would inevitably leave something behind.
Taking into account what Juechen had said before—that Shu Xin might be the female cultivator who had severely wounded him in the demon cave thirty years ago—Shu Xin was probably someone who often went out on missions.
Yin Rushi ordered the Blood Demon Sect’s spies to investigate the records of Shu Xin’s past missions in the Longevity Dao Sect. However, the spies reported that all the mission records had accidentally been destroyed several years earlier. Apparently, a disciple of one of the Nine Sons of Longevity had attained sudden enlightenment while “checking the accounts,” and in the process ruined those mission jade slips.
The spies then sought out some of the older members of the Longevity Dao Sect and roughly learned the dates of several important missions Shu Xin had accepted.
Unfortunately, before they could find much more, Yin Rushi discovered that the life aura of the Blood Demon Sect spy had vanished.
Within the Longevity Dao Sect, there was another force preventing anyone from investigating anything related to Shu Xin.
And that was very strange indeed.
Yin Rushi did not know who this person was at first, but that did not stop him from comparing the dates of Shu Xin’s missions with the dates when demonic lairs had been destroyed throughout the various regions over the past century. It was not difficult to discover one undeniable fact.
Every time Shu Xin went out on a mission, one or several demonic lairs were destroyed.
Moreover, from the top to the bottom of those lairs, nearly every cultivator inside them had died. Not merely dead, either—many had been obliterated without leaving so much as a corpse.
How could ordinary mortals possibly live for so long? Thus, all information about them had long since been cut off.
The more Yin Rushi investigated, the more alarmed he became.
On the one hand, Shu Xin was very likely the culprit responsible for killing countless demonic cultivators over the years. On the other hand, this woman was exceptionally shrewd. Just before she was about to be exposed, she had decisively withdrawn from the Longevity Dao Sect and entered the Wenshen Sect. After that, she had begun to make a name for herself throughout the world, advancing steadily with every step.
Whatever this woman was plotting, it was certainly no minor scheme!
And yet such a dangerous figure had survived for so long right under Long Ling’s nose. By the time Long Ling realized something was wrong, Shu Xin had already become a disciple of the Wenshen Sect.
Yin Rushi simply wanted to laugh at Long Ling.
So this was all the so-called prodigy of the Longevity Dao Sect amounted to.
Perhaps her dear junior brother, Situ Jian, was still entangled with that woman as well!
Now that the Blood Demon Ancestor was enraged, Yin Rushi thought it over and decided to reveal the information he had gathered. At worst, the Blood Demon Ancestor would simply kill him on the spot.
“People from the Daoist sects are always like this. Whenever something happens, they try to pin the blame on me.” The Blood Demon Ancestor had long since grown used to it. In any case, he did not care about bearing a few more charges.
“I heard that the Ancestor has been searching for the Slaughter Immortal Sword.” Yin Rushi continued kowtowing. “You have already seen the sword Shu Xin carries. But you have never seen the sword wielded by the Mahayana sword cultivator behind her. It appeared only once, when it wounded Ning Weixuan, one of the Nine Sons of Longevity, within the Longevity Dao Sect. Afterward, it left without a trace, and not even the earthly immortals of the Longevity Dao Sect intervened.”
“There are two possibilities. First, that Mahayana sword cultivator is someone from the Longevity Dao Sect itself, which is why the earthly immortals were not alerted. Second, the sword in that Mahayana cultivator’s hands may very well be the Slaughter Immortal Sword. Since the earthly immortals were uncertain of the situation, they did not dare act.” Yin Rushi answered respectfully. “There is no conclusive evidence, but perhaps this could serve as another lead for the Ancestor to investigate.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor became somewhat interested. “That is indeed intriguing. It is certainly better than searching aimlessly.”
“Very well. Invite that Shu Xin to my Blood Demon Sect as a guest.” The Blood Demon Ancestor smiled. “If the person behind her truly possesses the Slaughter Immortal Sword, I will credit you with a merit.”
“Yes, Ancestor.”
At that moment, within the Longevity Dao Sect—
Situ Jian had not even left his residence before Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge blocked his path.
Even Song Ping was kneeling off to the side, watching him with a dejected expression.
“Nephew, you have been carrying on a close and secret relationship with my disciple. Surely you owe us an explanation.” Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge had clearly come prepared.
“The two of you are joking, Martial Uncles.” Situ Jian remained calm and composed. “Junior Brother Song Ping and I hit it off at first sight. We are both disciples of the Nine Sons of Longevity, so it is perfectly normal for us to keep in touch. It is not only Junior Brother Song Ping. I also frequently visit Senior Sister Long Ling.”
“Is that so? Then I’m afraid my disciple must have been lying to me when he said that you were somewhat dissatisfied with Senior Brother Gong, along with a few other things he should not have said. I wonder whether my good senior brother can tolerate even the slightest bit of sand in his eyes?” Wen Jingshu pressed aggressively.
“My junior sister is right.” Fu Ge played the peacemaker. “Nephew Situ, you have no family backing you. The only person you can rely on is Senior Brother Gong’s favor. But I know my senior brother well. He has always been cold and selfish. Before entering seclusion, he must have given you an impossible task, hasn’t he?”
Situ Jian’s expression shifted uneasily. “May I ask what the two Martial Uncles want with me?”
Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu exchanged a knowing glance, then began singing the same tune.
“Actually, we did not come here to make things difficult for you. My good senior brother sent all his disciples from prominent clans out on assignments, leaving only you in the sect. He must have intended for you to protect his cultivation while he was in seclusion. We do not need you to personally lead us to him. You only need to tell us where he is cultivating in seclusion.”
“No.” Situ Jian refused without hesitation. “My master’s place of seclusion is of the utmost importance. Forgive me, but I cannot reveal it.”
“Looks like you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.” Fu Ge’s expression turned furious. “Do you truly think I would not dare search your soul?”
“My master placed a restriction in my sea of consciousness. Even if you search my soul, you will find nothing. On the contrary, you may disturb my master.” Situ Jian lifted his chin arrogantly. “I advise both Martial Uncles not to waste your efforts.”
“Heh. Nephew Situ, do you truly believe that just because Senior Brother Gong becomes a Mahayana cultivator, you will rise with him?” Wen Jingshu changed her tone and smiled. “Let us set aside whether he can successfully advance more smoothly than Senior Brother Zong An. Even if he does advance, can the Longevity Dao Sect afford to support him? His disciples from prominent clans can at least procure vast quantities of spirit stones for him in exchange for his protection. What do you have? Once he discovers that Fu Ge and I came to see you, do you think you will still have any chance of survival?”
“When a Mahayana cultivator wants to kill his own disciple, he does not even need to find a reason. You are of humble birth. Could it be that you do not even understand such a simple principle?” Fu Ge sneered.
Situ Jian’s face went white, then whiter still.
Yet he still refused to speak.
Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge, however, could both see that his resolve was wavering. They then exposed how Situ Jian had lined his own pockets over the years and secretly supported Shu Xin.
“You have lined the pockets of that former fiancée of yours, both openly and secretly, haven’t you? Many things belonging to the Longevity Dao Sect were sold by you and exchanged for spirit stones, which you then sent to your dear former fiancée.” Wen Jingshu smiled. “Once your master becomes a Mahayana cultivator, the first thing he will do is attack the Wenshen Sect. Do you believe that? When that happens, you and your dear former fiancée will become a pair of doomed lovers.”
“How about this?” Fu Ge said with a smile. “Whatever you want, just name it.”
Situ Jian hesitated for a long while before slowly saying, “I have already reached the Grotto-Heaven realm, and advancing to the higher-grade Wugou realm requires a massive amount of resources. If something happens to my master, I will once again find myself without his protection. If the two of you can arrange a good place for me, then…”
“I can take you as my disciple!” Wen Jingshu offered first. “Your treatment will not change in the slightest.”
Only then did Situ Jian’s tone loosen. Slowly, he revealed the location.
Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge exchanged a glance, then attacked Situ Jian without the slightest hesitation.
Situ Jian died on the spot.
