Master Yushan’s Mahayana tribulation came with overwhelming force. As Gong Changshou and Zong An watched, they both gained a faint measure of insight.
They were disciples of Earthly Immortals to begin with, and their foundations were more than sufficient. If there had not been a lack of vacant positions at the Mahayana stage, combined with the scarcity of spiritual energy, they might have reached the high-level Mahayana stage long ago.
Now that Master Yushan was leading the way, they naturally felt more confident.
The only thing Gong Changshou needed to be mindful of was his opponent—his junior brother, Zong An.
However, Situ Jian had already helped him persuade Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge. Even if they could not completely cut off Zong An’s path to the high-level Mahayana stage, they could at least delay him for a while.
It seemed that accepting this disciple back then had not been a loss after all.
Gong Changshou chuckled softly and returned to his own dwelling.
This was a residence he had prepared for himself long ago. It was hidden within an ancient secret realm and connected to his dwelling in the Longevity Dao Sect through a teleportation array, allowing him to freely travel between the sect and the secret realm. Should he encounter a powerful enemy, he only needed to hide inside the secret realm, where he could rest easy.
For Gong Changshou to sit securely among the Nine Sons of Longevity and even compete with Ning Weixuan and Master Yushan for the position of sect master, he naturally had his own methods.
Once he reached the high-level Mahayana stage, the years he had spent biding his time would finally yield results.
Gong Changshou secluded himself within the secret realm. The place was filled with the spirit stones and various heavenly treasures he had accumulated over the years.
The high-level Mahayana stage required an immense amount of resources beyond what outsiders could imagine. The more spirit stones one accumulated, the less of one’s own vital essence would be consumed. If one forcibly broke through after exhausting all one’s spiritual energy, it would be no different from cutting off one’s future lineage and legacy.
The Mahayana stage was merely the starting point of Gong Changshou’s ambitions, not the end. How could he possibly stop here?
Gong Changshou entered seclusion once more.
Meanwhile, his dwelling within the Longevity Dao Sect was being approached in secret.
“You acted far too quickly. If you had left Situ Jian alive, he could have helped us test the traps inside Gong Changshou’s dwelling,” Wen Jingshu said, sounding somewhat regretful. Although Situ Jian had revealed before his death that the passage to the secret realm where Gong Changshou was hiding lay within the sect, Gong Changshou was cautious by nature and might not have told his disciple the truth.
The dwelling Gong Changshou had left in the sect was likely filled with danger as well.
“Heh. Was your hand any slower than mine?” Fu Ge and Wen Jingshu had always found each other unbearable, but Gong Changshou was now their common enemy. Naturally, neither of them could afford to let him go.
“Now is the best time to act.” Wen Jingshu ignored Fu Ge’s sarcasm. “The outsiders who came to the sect to gather information have all been behaving suspiciously. Once the time comes, we can pin all the blame on them. But the prerequisite is that Gong Changshou cannot survive.”
“Don’t worry. I borrowed the Murong family’s ancestral treasure. There will be no problem,” Fu Ge replied calmly. “Gong Changshou must die.”
“As expected of the strongest live-in son-in-law. Back then, you kept saying you were doing it for her, and I thought you had merely set your sights on the Murong family’s wealth. I never expected you to truly have some genuine feelings for her.”
“She is pure, beautiful, and willing to abandon her path for my sake. Why wouldn’t I love her?” Fu Ge fell silent for a moment before slowly continuing, “She is the last family I have left in this world.”
Wen Jingshu wanted to say something, but suddenly fell silent as well.
“I have never regretted it,” Wen Jingshu said abruptly. “If one wishes to attain a position above ten thousand others, one naturally has to pay a price far beyond what ordinary people would.”
“You don’t need to tell me any of this. We both know that the past is already behind us. Anyone who tries to dredge it up and use it to threaten us has no right to remain alive in this world.” Fu Ge’s eyes were filled with murderous intent. “Let’s go. We can’t delay any longer. If Gong Changshou really completes his breakthrough, the two of us will be waiting for death.”
Wen Jingshu no longer hesitated.
The two of them brought out their protective treasures, sent Ning Weixuan a message, and then entered Gong Changshou’s dwelling without the slightest hesitation.
At the same time, in another location.
Elder Yan of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect, Elder Yao of the Carefree Dao Sect, and several Immaculate Realm cultivators from other sects had already arrived outside Zong An’s dwelling.
They had received word that Zong An was inside.
The person who had cooperated with them had even given them a way to leave the Longevity Dao Sect.
The sole condition for providing them with such precious information was that they make the incident as serious as possible—the bigger, the better.
In other words, once they carried this out, their relationship with the Longevity Dao Sect would likely deteriorate completely, and even the peace on the surface would cease to exist.
Several Immaculate Realm elders had been hesitant at first. But as Master Yushan’s Mahayana tribulation passed its halfway point and the surrounding spiritual energy was nearly depleted, their resolve hardened.
He had not even survived the tribulation yet, and he had already begun absorbing spiritual energy on such a massive scale.
Once the Longevity Dao Sect gained two more Mahayana cultivators, would there be any room left for their sects to survive?
At worst, after killing Zong An, they would shoulder all the consequences themselves and ensure that their sects were not implicated.
Surely the Longevity Dao Sect would not confront all of their sects at once for the sake of a dead man?
Wasn’t the whole point simply to make the matter as serious as possible?
If they could ruin the Longevity Dao Sect’s plans, then their journey would not have been in vain.
Under Master Yushan’s Mahayana tribulation, the aftershocks of battles taking place elsewhere were like a stone tossed into a violently surging sea. Though they splashed up some water, no one paid them any attention.
At that moment, every force within the Longevity Dao Sect worthy of mention was gathered around Master Yushan.
The entire Longevity Dao Sect was united, determined to help Master Yushan ascend to the Mahayana stage!
As Master Yushan’s disciple, Long Ling was stationed in a different position along with her fellow senior brothers and sisters.
With every fraction of the tribulation clouds’ aura that dissipated from the sky, her mood grew more jubilant.
The suffering and humiliation she had endured at Shu Xin’s hands had long since become irrelevant.
As long as her master successfully reached the Mahayana stage, she would become one of the next generation of the Nine Sons of Longevity. In the future, she too would possess a moment like this, just as her master did.
As for Shu Xin, he was destined to wither away in the Inquiry God Sect.
“Senior Sister, the formation masters say that battles have broken out in several other parts of the sect.” Long Ling’s junior sister quietly came over and reported, “The battles are taking place at the dwellings of Uncle-Master Gong and Uncle-Master Zong. There are also signs that the dwellings of Uncle-Master Wen and Uncle-Master Fu have been damaged. In addition, several Immaculate Realm elders have come under attack. Do we need to send people over to support them?”
After all, among the current Nine Sons of Longevity, two intended to enter seclusion, while three had no intention of participating. The remaining three were all here guarding Master Yushan, clearly demonstrating their determination not to compete with him.
“What about Uncle-Master Ning?” Long Ling asked. “Uncle-Master Ning isn’t in seclusion, and he hasn’t come to protect Master either. He should be able to go and provide support, shouldn’t he?”
“Senior Sister Long, we can’t get in touch with him.” The junior sister stuck out her tongue. “Ever since Uncle-Master Gong and Uncle-Master Zong announced that they were going into seclusion to break through to the Mahayana stage, Uncle-Master Ning hasn’t looked happy once. He’s been chewing out all his disciples until they’re practically dripping with blood and tears. How would we dare go near him?”
“These uncles-master are all incredibly powerful. Why would they need our support? We’d only get in their way if we went.” Long Ling spoke calmly. “Besides, this is nothing more than a diversion by some outsiders. If we leave this place, they’ll immediately send a large force to attack Master. The situation is urgent. We must know which matter is more important.”
“Hehe, that’s what the other senior brothers and sisters said too.”
Now that they had the chance to curry favor with a newly minted Mahayana cultivator, who would have the patience to rescue those ungrateful fools?
If anyone mistook them for being on the same side, they would be the ones to suffer.
Ten days later.
Gong Changshou slowly opened his eyes.
The people who had entered through the sect’s cave abode were not cultivators from another sect. They were two acquaintances of his.
Looking at Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge, who were somewhat battered and clearly had gone through a great deal of trouble to make it this far, Gong Changshou found the situation utterly absurd.
Shouldn’t these two have been attacking Zong An?
Why had they come after him instead?
“Junior Sister Wen, Junior Brother Fu, it seems you’ve decided to help Zong An deal with me.” Gong Changshou sighed. “Where is my disciple? What happened to him?”
Not many people knew where his cave abode was. Little Fifth was one of them.
However, even he only knew the general location. It should have been impossible for him to get through the countless mechanisms Gong Changshou had set up inside the cave abode.
At that moment, two magic treasures hovered around Wen Jingshu, firmly protecting her.
Fu Ge, meanwhile, clutched a magic treasure shaped like a green lantern. It was a top-grade treasure of the Murong family, practically half an immortal artifact. Unfortunately, the green lantern’s spirit had vanished many years ago. Otherwise, its power would have been enough to destroy every contingency Gong Changshou had prepared, and the two of them would not have been in such a sorry state.
“Why bother putting on an act, Senior Brother?” Fu Ge exposed Gong Changshou’s hypocrisy without the slightest courtesy. “You probably can’t even remember your disciple’s name by now. You sent him here as a mediator, and when we refused to do as he wished, he naturally ended up dead without a burial place. It’s a pity that Junior Sister Wen and I attacked together. Otherwise, he might have held out a little longer.”
When Gong Changshou heard that Situ Jian was dead, he did not feel the slightest grief.
A disciple was only a disciple. If he was willing, all he had to do was wave his hand and countless cultivators would beg to serve him, all for the chance to become his disciple.
Gong Changshou only regretted losing the demonic technique that allowed Situ Jian to absorb cultivation.
He had originally intended to use it against Zong An. He never expected Situ Jian to die at the hands of these two instead.
“You were willing to pay quite a price.” Gong Changshou smiled. “Junior Sister Wen, the magic treasures around you must have been bestowed by your master. They can preserve your life even against a Mahayana cultivator. As for the one in Junior Brother Fu’s hands, that is the Murong family’s Undying Green Lantern. Even the head of the Murong family would have to expend considerable effort to wield it. Your dao companion was willing to steal even this for you. It seems she truly loves you deeply.”
“You’ve hidden this place well, Senior Brother Gong.” Wen Jingshu gazed at the countless spirit stones and rare heavenly treasures filling the secret realm, and a trace of greed flashed through her eyes. “These things really are enough to support you in breaking through to the Mahayana stage.”
“If you have the ability, you’re welcome to take them.” Gong Changshou laughed. “The two of you only managed to reach this place by relying on the power of your magic treasures. With cultivation that isn’t even stable at the Wugou Realm, you useless fools actually think you can contend with me? You’re being rather overconfident.”
With that, Gong Changshou dropped all pretense and attacked Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge.
Although the two of them had also reached the Wugou Realm, their cultivation was far from stable. Compared to a top-tier cultivator like Gong Changshou, they were naturally outmatched.
As the battle continued, the two of them gradually found themselves unable to keep up.
If not for the protection of their magic treasures, Gong Changshou would have injured them long ago.
“Senior Brother Ning, are you still not going to act?” Wen Jingshu had been struck by Gong Changshou’s palm, throwing her internal energy into chaos. Fu Ge was in no better condition. A crack had already appeared in the Undying Green Lantern in his hand.
They had magic treasures, but how could Gong Changshou possibly be without them?
“Junior Brother Gong, why bully two juniors? They’re barely old enough to be your grandchildren.” A laugh rang out, and a white-robed figure drifted lightly to the ground, effortlessly blocking Gong Changshou’s divine ability.
Gong Changshou looked at the Ning Weixuan before him with suspicion.
“Senior Brother Ning, what brings you here?”
If he were only dealing with the two useless fools, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge, he was confident he could defeat them and seize their magic treasures for himself.
But with Ning Weixuan involved as well, Gong Changshou knew the situation had turned unfavorable.
“Of course I came to see how my good Junior Brother plans to break through to the Mahayana stage.” Ning Weixuan wore his customary smile. “I still remember how you used to follow Senior Brother Yushan Zi and me around, fawning over us and calling us ‘Senior Brother’ at every turn. And now you want to follow in Senior Brother Yushan Zi’s footsteps and break through to the Mahayana stage as well. If you truly succeed, I suppose I’ll have to call you Ancestor from then on.”
Gong Changshou’s expression darkened.
“Senior Brother Ning, your injuries have nothing to do with me. We are fellow disciples. Why make things so ugly?” Gong Changshou continued searching for an opening as he spoke. “The cultivation world is in chaos. If our Longevity Dao Sect gains two more Mahayana cultivators, we’ll naturally be able to conquer all sides. Once we’ve killed the Mahayana cultivators of the other sects, won’t you have your chance as well? The Nine Sons of Longevity all entering the Mahayana stage—wouldn’t that make for a beautiful story?”
“Heh. If you break through to the Mahayana stage, will the three of us still be alive?” Wen Jingshu’s voice sharpened. “Senior Brother Ning, why waste so many words? You’ve seen it yourself. These heavenly treasures are enough to restore and solidify your dao foundation. I don’t want anything else. I only want Gong Changshou dead!”
Gong Changshou frowned. “Junior Sister Wen, what deep grudge do you and I have that you would go this far to kill me?”
Even if Zong An had offered a suitable price, it should not have been worth taking things to such extremes.
“Heh.” Wen Jingshu gave a contemptuous laugh. “Why bother pretending, Senior Brother? Don’t you know what you’ve done?”
Gong Changshou very much wanted to say that he truly did not know. It had been Situ Jian who carried out the deed.
But then he remembered that Wen Jingshu and the others had already killed Situ Jian, leaving no one who could prove otherwise. His anger only grew.
“Since you insist on opposing me, this old man will kill you first and then prove the Great Dao!”
“Then we’ll take this opportunity to seek instruction in Senior Brother Gong’s abilities.”
…
Somewhere in the Longevity Dao Sect.
Song Ping quietly carried Situ Jian’s corpse, preparing to slip away first.
He remembered how Situ Jian would occasionally gaze toward the direction of the Seeking Gods Sect. He had brought his lord’s corpse to the place where the person he yearned for resided. In a way, this was the last gesture of loyalty he could offer as a subordinate.
“What are you doing? Song Ping, get back to your own post.” A familiar voice rang out.
Song Ping was startled, only to discover that the corpse he had been dragging had changed its appearance. It now looked like someone else.
The real Situ Jian stepped out from behind him and casually waved a hand, obliterating the corpse on the ground.
“It was merely a puppet I controlled with a spell,” Situ Jian said indifferently. “Otherwise, how could I have made them lower their guard?”
A dead man—especially one they had personally killed—was someone they would never suspect again.
He knew exactly what sort of people Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge were. Did they really think they could cooperate with them? No. Those two would simply kill anyone who posed a threat to them.
They were selfish to the extreme.
If they were not both disciples of terrestrial immortals, and if their cultivation levels were not so similar, they would probably have already turned on each other.
“My lord is wise.” Song Ping took another look at the corpse on the ground and suddenly realized that it looked exactly like one of Gong Changshou’s disciples.
Hadn’t Gong Changshou sent out all his disciples from aristocratic families?
Had Situ Jian intercepted one of them?
That had to be it. Only a cultivator in the same Grotto-Heaven realm could display cultivation comparable to Situ Jian’s.
But his lord was clearly only in the Grotto-Heaven realm himself. How could he control another cultivator of the same level?
While Song Ping was puzzled, he could not help feeling immensely relieved.
“My lord is safe. That’s wonderful.” Song Ping’s face broke into a broad smile. “I thought… I thought those two vile men and women had really killed you.”
Situ Jian felt somewhat helpless. He was still directing his other subordinates to sow confusion throughout the Longevity Dao Sect, creating diversions and misdirection in order to seize this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, the death of any one of the Nine Sons of Longevity would attract the attention of Wuweizi, a terrestrial immortal.
But now, Master Yushan was undergoing his Mahayana heavenly tribulation. The aura and might of the tribulation filled the entire area. Even a terrestrial immortal would not dare to directly challenge the Heavenly Dao at a time like this.
In other words, this was the one moment when the divine sense of a terrestrial immortal could neither spread across the region nor detect what was happening.
Situ Jian had waited a very long time for such an opportunity.
“Judging by the time, Wen Jingshu and the others should be coming out soon. My good master won’t be able to defeat Ning Weixuan.” Situ Jian tossed a bottle to Song Ping.
Song Ping fumbled to catch it and cautiously asked, “My lord, what is inside?”
“Clear Mirror Divine Water,” Situ Jian replied softly. “After Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge come out, they will certainly need to heal their injuries. Secretly add the Clear Mirror Divine Water to their tea, observe their reactions, and report back to me.”
“Don’t worry. The Clear Mirror Divine Water isn’t poison. It’s simply water filled with spiritual energy.”
“But Wen Jingshu never drinks tea that someone else has touched. I’m afraid I’ll only waste your painstaking preparations, my lord.” Song Ping did not know exactly what the Clear Mirror Divine Water was, but its name alone told him that it was something extraordinary.
“She normally wouldn’t drink it. But once she’s injured and her mind is in disarray, she’ll see that it’s you serving her and she’ll drink it.” Situ Jian stood with his hands behind his back. “Go. And don’t do anything unnecessary.”
Song Ping nodded repeatedly and hurried back.
Situ Jian stood silently for a while, unable to keep himself from mocking himself.
Even his subordinate knew that he often stared in a certain direction. It seemed he really had been losing his composure.
The closer one came to a crucial moment, the less one could afford to relax.
Romantic entanglements. Longing and admiration.
None of these things should appear at a time like this.
At the Seeking Gods Sect.
Shu Xin looked at the tribulation clouds covering the territory of the Longevity Dao Sect. Most of them had already dispersed, and the spiritual energy within the Seeking Gods Sect had been almost completely exhausted. From this, she knew that Master Yushan was likely to succeed in overcoming his tribulation.
By contrast, Xu Guan still showed no sign of breaking through. He was probably still undergoing the trials of the Three Winds and Four Fires.
[You think everyone is like you, treating the Three Winds and Four Fires as if they were child’s play? Especially when advancing from the Stainless Realm to the Mahayana stage—taking several decades or even a century to pass through the Three Winds and Four Fires is perfectly normal. In the past, there were even cultivators who spent more than a thousand years on it. More often than not, by the time they survived the Three Winds and Four Fires, their lifespans had already run out, and they died on the spot.]
Otherwise, why would cultivators turn pale at the mere mention of the Three Winds and Four Fires?
The reason Master Yushan was progressing so quickly was that he had already been only one step away from the Mahayana stage. He had also entered seclusion long ago. It was likely that by the time the Mahayana cultivator from the Profound Spirit Dao Sect died, Master Yushan had already passed through most of the trials posed by the Three Winds and Four Fires.
“Is it my fault that I progressed too quickly and had such a stable Dao heart?” Shu Xin said irritably. “I’m just a little anxious.”
[You’re worried about Little Fox.]
The Sword Spirit understood Shu Xin so well that it knew what she was about to do from the slightest movement.
Naturally, Shu Xin herself had taught it such crude expressions.
“Who’s worried?” Shu Xin stubbornly denied it. “I just think this opportunity is extremely rare. It would be a shame to let it pass.”
[Under a Mahayana heavenly tribulation, even the perceptions of terrestrial immortals will be blocked. There couldn’t be a better opportunity.]
The Sword Spirit could not help sighing as well.
[Back then, we all thought it was impossible. Who would have imagined that he would actually manage it?]
As its Swordmaster, Shu Xin should have been the one stirring up the winds and clouds.
She had the means and the schemes. It would not have been difficult for her to turn the Longevity Dao Sect upside down.
But Shu Xin did not want to.
Her world was different from Situ Jian’s.
When Shu Xin looked at the Longevity Dao Sect, she saw more than the sect itself. She saw the countless low-level rogue cultivators oppressed by the Longevity Dao Sect, as well as the ordinary mortals who could die at any moment without warning.
Even if the Longevity Dao Sect were destroyed, so what?
There were still countless other sects.
And perhaps one day, the Seeking Gods Sect would become another Longevity Dao Sect.
Situ Jian’s world, however, was very small—so small that it could contain nothing but his hatred.
That was why he would become the one to destroy the Longevity Dao Sect.
“He knows what I’m capable of, and he knows what you’re capable of, yet he has never asked me for help.” Shu Xin sighed. “I raised him with my own hands. How is he any different from my own child?”
[…Don’t say that to his face.]
The Sword Spirit was speechless. If she actually said that, Situ Jian would probably break down on the spot.
It was still counting on Situ Jian to pass along information, earn spirit stones, and eliminate demon cultivators.
It was unlikely to get any help from Shu Xin.
“Sword Spirit, how long has it been since I came to this world?” Shu Xin touched her face. “Why does it feel as though time has passed so quickly? In the blink of an eye, Jingzhi from back then has already become the behind-the-scenes power player, while I’m still young, handsome, and beautiful.”
[One hundred and ninety-nine years, ten months, and seven days.]
The Sword Spirit gave her an exact figure.
“So I’ve already lived for two hundred years.” Shu Xin smiled softly.
Indeed, it’s been far too long.
