“Don’t wait any longer, Fellow Daoist Zong. The entire Longevity Dao Sect is currently focused on protecting your senior apprentice-brother through his tribulation. Who do you think is going to come save you?” one of the elders from the Immaculate Realm said without the slightest hesitation.
These elders from other sects had learned the exact location and timing of Zong An’s seclusion from their informants. They had already surrounded him here for quite some time, yet the Longevity Dao Sect still had not reacted in the slightest. That alone said more than enough.
And yet Zong An still refused to give up hope, stubbornly waiting for support from his sect.
Naturally, the elders surrounding him were more than happy to drive a wedge into his greatest weakness.
“That’s right. There are plenty of people in this world who will add flowers to brocade, but how many are willing to provide charcoal in the snow?” another elder chimed in. “Fellow Daoist Zong, there’s no need for you to put up such futile resistance. Your place of seclusion has already been exposed to us. Do you really still have any attachment to this sect?”
Even if they could not kill Zong An while they remained locked in this stalemate, they could still plant a seed in his Dao heart. That way, Zong An would be unable to successfully overcome his tribulation in the future and become another Mahayana cultivator.
Zong An’s expression grew increasingly grim. At the same time, the tribulation clouds covering the sky grew thinner and thinner, showing faint signs of dispersing.
It seemed Senior Brother Yushan Zi was close to successfully overcoming his tribulation.
Everyone was celebrating for him.
Yet here, despite the tremendous commotion he had caused, Zong An did not even have a single person supporting him.
Zong An knew he should not think this way, but faced with such an extreme contrast, he could not help but begin to hate the sect—and even his own master, who had never shown himself.
Could it be that his master truly could not see him struggling desperately here?
Or was it that, as long as his senior apprentice-brother succeeded, the lives of everyone else simply did not matter?
The elders attacking Zong An were all shrewd, experienced people.
When they saw the changes in his expression, they knew they had succeeded.
Killing the body and destroying the heart had always gone hand in hand.
Even if Zong An did not die at their hands, he would no longer be the same Zong An he had been before.
Elsewhere, Gong Changshou was not nearly as fortunate as Zong An.
Under Ning Weixuan’s direction, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge were attacking with murderous intent as well, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Gong Changshou was finding it increasingly difficult to hold on. Yet this was his secret realm, which had only one exit. Even escaping was extremely difficult.
What had originally seemed like an ideal place for cultivation had now become the grave where he would be buried.
Gong Changshou’s expression was grim, and his tone was naturally no longer as arrogant as before. “Senior Brother Ning, though the two of us have had our disputes, we are still fellow disciples. Is the bond we have forged over a thousand years truly meaningless? If I die, Master will naturally investigate. I am willing to give up on advancing to the Mahayana stage. Senior Brother, why must you press me so relentlessly?”
When Ning Weixuan heard this, he not only failed to stop, but attacked even more fiercely.
“Junior Brother, there’s no need to deceive me with such words. I know exactly what kind of person you are. The moment you’re willing to abandon your ridiculous pride, you’ll come to hate me to the bone. If I don’t kill you, how can I ever feel at ease?”
Once he chose to strike, he had to eliminate the threat completely.
Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge did not dare hold back in the slightest, either.
Judging by the time, Senior Brother Yushan’s tribulation should be nearing its end. If they still could not kill Gong Changshou, they would be finished.
“Since none of you want me to live, then let’s all die together!” Realizing that the three of them truly intended to leave him no chance of survival, Gong Changshou’s face filled with grim determination.
If they wanted him dead, then at the very least, he would drag two of them down with him!
…
The tribulation clouds had already dispersed by more than half.
Strange phenomena appeared one after another.
The rosy clouds in the sky transformed into all kinds of shapes. Some took the form of dragons and phoenixes, while others became flowers and plants of various kinds, slowly drifting downward.
Seven-colored rainbow light illuminated a vast stretch of the mountains, making it seem as though they had entered a wondrous new world.
Long Ling and the other cultivators were already beaming with delight.
“The tribulation clouds are more than half gone.”
“Master has succeeded!”
“Hahaha! Our Longevity Dao Sect is about to gain another Mahayana cultivator!”
“Congratulations to the Sect Master on ascending to the Mahayana stage!”
“Congratulations to the Sect Master on ascending to the Mahayana stage!”
“Congratulations to the Sect Master on ascending to the Mahayana stage!”
The voices spread farther and farther.
One cultivator after another knelt toward the place where Master Yushan had been cultivating in seclusion, chanting their congratulations in unison.
Every face was filled with anticipation for the future and admiration for Master Yushan.
It was as if they themselves were the ones who had successfully overcome the tribulation and reached the Mahayana stage that day.
“You’ll all die horrible deaths! Hahaha!”
“You’ll end up just like me!”
Gong Changshou burst into wild laughter. His primordial spirit shot out of his body and attempted to flee.
But Ning Weixuan had been prepared for this. He caught it in one hand and crushed it.
“Junior Brother, there’s no need to cling to a sliver of hope. I killed your several external incarnations long ago.” Ning Weixuan casually crushed the last of Gong Changshou’s hopes. “I should thank your good disciples for that. Did you really think that because you had your disciples hide a fragment of your primordial spirit, I wouldn’t be able to find it?”
Ning Weixuan had used this very method himself in the past.
Everything Gong Changshou had done was something their senior brothers had done before him.
“You…” Gong Changshou had never imagined that, only a few days ago, he had still been brimming with confidence, planning to overcome his tribulation and become a Mahayana cultivator. And yet now, he had been reduced to this.
But Ning Weixuan gave him no further opportunity. With another application of thunder magic, he blasted the last trace of Gong Changshou’s vitality into dust.
No matter how powerful a cultivator Gong Changshou had been, no matter how glorious his past, in his final moments he was no different from those with low cultivation.
He had gone mad. He was unable to believe what was happening. He had even wanted to perish together with his enemies.
Ning Weixuan lowered his eyes slightly, the corners of his lips curling in disdain.
You want to surpass me and become a Mahayana cultivator? You’re not worthy.
The one who would become a Mahayana cultivator was him.
Only by reaching the Mahayana stage could he avenge the sword strike from all those years ago!
“Cough, cough.”
Ning Weixuan covered his chest and coughed several times.
He gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before turning to Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge.
The two of them were in even worse condition than he was.
Wen Jingshu’s protective magical treasure had been completely shattered, beyond any possibility of repair. Her cultivation had also fallen directly from the Immaculate Realm to the Grotto-Heaven Realm, indicating that her injuries were severe.
Fu Ge had likewise fallen to the Grotto-Heaven Realm. The Unquenchable Azure Lamp in his hand was reduced to nothing more than a spark. No one knew how many resources it would take to repair it and make it burn again.
The foundations of their Immaculate Realm cultivation had already been unstable. After suffering injuries like these, it would be absolutely impossible for them to recover in less than several hundred years.
Just like the demon cultivator from that Immortal Manor who had been surnamed Cui, who had fallen from the Immaculate Realm to the Grotto-Heaven Realm and needed years of careful planning, along with the help of the Blood Demon Ancestor, to obtain the Blood Spirit Pearl and return to the Immaculate Realm, the two of them would have to pay a considerable price to recover.
They could either seek help from Master Yushan, who had already reached the Mahayana stage, or look for their reclusive master, Wuweizi.
But whichever path they chose, the price they would have to pay would be immense.
“Senior Brother Ning, you’re injured too. If you insist on killing us, I’m afraid you won’t survive either.” Wen Jingshu struggled to get up from the ground, warily watching Ning Weixuan before her.
The strength of this Senior Brother Ning was far beyond anything she had imagined.
If he had not intervened, she and Fu Ge would never have been able to kill Gong Changshou.
Fu Ge also put considerable effort into climbing to his feet.
“I wanted to kill Gong Changshou because, ultimately, he was blocking my path. Among cultivators who reach the Immaculate Realm of the Mahayana stage, fewer than one in a hundred succeeds. I can’t let him take that position—at the very least, not before me. But what about the two of you? Why did you pay such a heavy price to kill Gong Changshou?” This was what Ning Weixuan found most incomprehensible.
Wen Jingshu, Fu Ge, and Gong Changshou should not have had any connection.
What kind of person could offer them enough to risk shattering their treasures and falling in cultivation just to kill someone?
If the two of them had not contributed their strength and destroyed Gong Changshou’s mechanisms, Ning Weixuan would have found it quite difficult to kill him so quickly.
“That has nothing to do with you, Senior Brother.” Wen Jingshu naturally refused to tell him the truth.
Still, when she saw that Gong Changshou was truly dead, the weight in her heart finally lifted.
Now, no one could use that matter to threaten them anymore.
“So be it. I have no interest in such things.” Ning Weixuan stopped asking. With a wave of his sleeve, he swept all the spirit stones and resources in Gong Changshou’s secret realm into his possession.
“Wait. Shouldn’t we be dividing them equally?” Fu Ge could not help challenging him.
He needed an astronomical amount of resources to restore his cultivation and repair the Undying Azure Lamp. Yet Ning Weixuan actually intended to keep everything for himself. How could that be acceptable?
“Junior Brother, Junior Sister, do you think you’re qualified to split them with me?” Ning Weixuan asked in return. “You’d better leave while you still can. I’ve already lost one junior brother today. I don’t want to lose two more junior brothers and sisters.”
“You…” Wen Jingshu gritted her teeth, but still swallowed the words that followed.
That old bastard Ning Weixuan was clearly crossing the river and kicking away the bridge.
Unfortunately, they had no way to deal with him.
The wicked feared only those even more wicked.
Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge left the secret realm one after the other. Both remained alert for an attack from Ning Weixuan as they slowly made their way out.
Only after they had completely departed did Ning Weixuan seal the secret realm and collapse onto the ground.
Once he had the opportunity in the future, he absolutely could not allow those two to remain alive.
After leaving the secret realm, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge looked up and finally noticed the strange phenomenon in the sky.
“It seems Master Yushan really did advance successfully.” Wen Jingshu’s expression darkened. “Meanwhile, we still have to find a way to return to the Immaculate Realm first.”
“The spiritual veins of the Longevity Dao Sect aren’t enough to support us. Once the sect makes a move against the other clans and sects, will we still lack opportunities to restore our cultivation?” Fu Ge sneered. “After all, while we may be useless at many things, our recovery abilities are comparable to the restorative effects of top-grade pills.”
If Ning Weixuan had been there and seen their current condition, he certainly would not have allowed the two of them to leave.
A moment ago, they had both been so severely wounded that they could barely stand. Now, however, they could walk normally, and their injuries were already recovering rapidly.
An injury that would take an ordinary cultivator several centuries to heal could be restored in just a few decades—or even a few years—in their bodies.
Such astonishing recovery ability was truly terrifying.
“Go to my cave dwelling first.” Wen Jingshu said nothing more. “We can’t let anyone see us in this condition.”
Fu Ge nodded.
The Murong clan had too many people and too many prying eyes. Plenty of them looked down on him as a live-in son-in-law. Naturally, he had to recuperate at Wen Jingshu’s place first and wait until his injuries were no longer visible before leaving.
Not long after Song Ping returned to his own cave dwelling, he sensed that the entrance to Wen Jingshu’s had opened.
Since she had returned, it meant that Gong Changshou really was dead.
His master’s calculations had truly been accurate.
Song Ping was filled with admiration. He took out the Bright Mirror Divine Water Situ Jian had given him and carefully used it to brew the finest spirit tea. Only then did he cautiously carry it to Wen Jingshu’s cave dwelling.
“I never thought I’d have a day when I could enter your cave dwelling again.” Fu Ge laughed at himself. “The last time we joined forces was more than a hundred years ago.”
“That’s enough.” Wen Jingshu scolded him angrily. “Can’t you stop bringing it up?”
“If I don’t mention it, will that make it as though it never happened?” Fu Ge retorted. “Gong Changshou was already investigating what we did. Once Ning Weixuan realizes what happened, he’ll investigate as well. The truth can’t stay hidden forever. If we want to settle everything once and for all, we have to become stronger and kill everyone who questions us!”
Wen Jingshu’s face turned as pale as paper.
“Don’t tell me you regret it?” Wen Jingshu demanded.
“Of course I don’t regret it.” Fu Ge looked straight at her. “If we hadn’t used the bloodline forbidden art to gather the pitiful, meager strength of our clansmen, how could we have recovered so quickly and become immortals we once never even dared dream of becoming? In this lifetime, no female cultivator would ever have spared me a second glance. And you were destined to remain crippled forever, sitting in that wheelchair of yours until you died of old age!”
Wen Jingshu said nothing.
She knew Fu Ge was right.
Even if they were given another chance to choose, they would still abandon the peaceful lives whose endings they could see from the very beginning and embark upon this path to heaven, a road destined to be filled with hardships and danger.
One of them had been nothing more than a lowly, ugly youth who relied on his elder sister and brother-in-law to survive.
The other had been a pitiful girl with crippled legs, destined to spend her life confined to a wheelchair.
If no opportunity had appeared, they would have been doomed to live at the very bottom of society for the rest of their lives.
For that reason, what did it matter if they had to give up a few things?
If they were given another chance, the result would be the same.
They merely sometimes remembered the past and felt a touch of nostalgia.
“Master, are you there?” A voice came from outside the cave dwelling.
Before Wen Jingshu could react, Fu Ge had already reached out and grabbed the person from outside, dragging him in.
Song Ping stumbled to the ground, but he still clutched the teapot in his hands protectively.
“It’s you?” When Wen Jingshu saw Song Ping, the anger on her face diminished somewhat. “What are you doing here?”
“I brewed the finest spirit tea. I was worried that you might need something when you returned, so I waited here the whole time.” Song Ping spoke gently. “Master, this disciple truly knows that he was wrong.”
When Wen Jingshu heard him say this, her expression softened further.
Afterward, Song Ping looked at Fu Ge beside her and smiled as well. “Martial Uncle Fu, allow me to pour you a cup too. I used the finest spirit tea. It should definitely help both of you.”
Without saying anything else, Song Ping honestly poured a cup for each of them.
Worried that they might become suspicious, Song Ping poured himself a cup as well and took a sip first, showing that he truly harbored no ill will toward them.
For a moment, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge were both somewhat dazed.
“Perhaps I should find someone like my elder sister and keep her by my side.” Fu Ge glanced at Song Ping before taking a large gulp of the spirit tea.
The spiritual energy entering his body really did make him feel much more comfortable.
Wen Jingshu also followed suit and took a cup.
“Not bad. It really is excellent tea, rich in spiritual energy. You’ve been thoughtful.” Wen Jingshu praised him.
Song Ping watched the two of them and found no sign that either was feeling unwell.
On the contrary, the spiritual energy within their bodies was still slowly gathering, repairing them from within.
Song Ping remained for another half an hour. Only after confirming that they truly showed no abnormal symptoms did he take his leave.
“My lord, they didn’t react at all.” When Song Ping returned to his cave abode, he found Situ Jian already waiting inside.
“They showed no unusual reaction?” Situ Jian asked again.
“None.” Song Ping shook his head. “After drinking it, they even praised the tea, saying it was rich in spiritual energy.”
What on earth was the Bright Mirror Divine Water his master had given them?
“Just as I thought.” Situ Jian uttered those few words.
Song Ping sensed a trace of sadness in Situ Jian’s voice.
“Master, you…”
“Don’t make any moves for the time being. Stay peacefully in your cave abode.” Situ Jian waved a hand and strode out.
Song Ping was completely baffled, but he obediently remained in his cave abode.
Situ Jian raised his head and looked toward the sky.
Only a small remnant of the tribulation clouds remained. There was not much time left.
The Bright Mirror Divine Water was nothing more than an obsession of his.
The two of them had drunk it without showing the slightest reaction.
That meant that, from beginning to end, their wills had never been altered by the spirit-parasitizing demon, nor had anyone else manipulated them.
Everything they had done had come from the depths of their own hearts.
There was not the slightest excuse.
Situ Jian could not help laughing.
This world had always been one where the weak were prey to the strong. Only those who were ruthless and merciless could accomplish anything.
Fu Ge was cultivating when he suddenly received a message from his wife, Murong Yan.
Someone from the Murong family had discovered that the Undying Azure Lamp was missing and needed him to return immediately.
Fu Ge stood up at once. Without the slightest hesitation, he interrupted his cultivation and prepared to leave.
“You truly are deeply devoted to Murong Yan.” Wen Jingshu sneered when she saw this. “You’re quite convincing, pretending to be in love.”
“Kill that counterfeit Song Ping first, then come talk to me.” Fu Ge retorted without the slightest courtesy before leaving directly.
Wen Jingshu closed her eyes again and resumed meditating.
Before long, someone entered.
“Master, your disciple has brought you some tea.” It was a man’s voice. “It’s freshly brewed. Didn’t you just praise this tea a moment ago?”
Upon hearing Song Ping’s voice, Wen Jingshu nodded. “Come in.”
She accepted the tea Song Ping handed her, a faint smile appearing on her face. “You don’t need to bring me tea again unless I ask for it, understood? And you must not tell anyone outside about my affairs.”
“Understood, Master.” “Song Ping” replied.
Wen Jingshu gave a soft “Mm” before lifting the cup and taking a sip.
But this time, the tea did not contain abundant spiritual energy. Instead, it held a poison that seeped into the bones, foul-smelling and revolting.
He’s trying to harm me!
Wen Jingshu instinctively struck the “Song Ping” in front of her with a palm.
But her palm strike found nothing. The person before her had already dodged, without even being grazed.
The other party even threw out a formation disc, sealing the entrance to the cave abode completely.
“You’re not Song Ping.” Wen Jingshu immediately became wary. Song Ping absolutely did not possess such cultivation or ability.
The “Song Ping” before her slowly transformed into the appearance of Situ Jian. He smiled faintly at Wen Jingshu.
“Martial Uncle Wen, it has been a long time.”
Seeing the person she had personally killed standing alive before her, Wen Jingshu was momentarily unable to react.
But soon, something else came to mind.
Before Gong Changshou had fought them, he had repeatedly asked why they wanted to kill him. At the time, Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge had assumed that Gong Changshou was merely pretending to be confused.
But thinking about it carefully, had the person who initially threatened her truly been Gong Changshou?
Wasn’t it Situ Jian standing before her who had delivered those words?
If Gong Changshou had genuinely known nothing about what was happening, then who had truly benefited from it all?
Wen Jingshu suddenly realized that she had seemingly fallen into a meticulously designed trap long ago.
This person not only knew about her past with Fu Ge, but also understood the personalities of both of them like the back of his hand.
He knew that she and Fu Ge would never seek out Gong Changshou to verify the matter. Instead, they would do everything in their power to kill Gong Changshou.
Now that Gong Changshou was dead, she and Fu Ge had both fallen from the Grotto-Heaven realm. On top of that, she had just drunk a mouthful of tea containing who knew what.
The situation was likely hopeless.
Wen Jingshu’s thoughts raced. Then she suddenly laughed.
“Have you come to seek out your master, my disciple? What I said before was naturally sincere. If you find me unsuitable as your master, I can recommend you to Senior Brother Yushan Zi. He has always favored young talents, and he has already reached the Mahayana stage. Following him would give you a bright future.”
Wen Jingshu brought up Master Yushan in an attempt to intimidate Situ Jian.
“Martial Uncle Wen, you jest.” Situ Jian replied, “If your magical treasure hadn’t been destroyed, you would have killed me on the spot by now. The fact that you’re humoring me like this shows that your injuries are indeed quite serious. Besides, you needn’t stall for time. I added the essence blood of a demon beast to the tea I gave you. Once you drank it, the conflicting bloodline powers would clash. The pitifully thin bloodline within your body can no longer repair you.”
The calm, immortal-like composure Wen Jingshu had deliberately maintained shattered in an instant.
In its place was an expression of panic.
Only a handful of people in this world knew that she possessed bloodline power, and none of them seemed to have any connection to the person before her.
“Who exactly are you?” Wen Jingshu stared warily at the man before her. She even suspected that he was not truly Situ Jian. “You disguised yourself as Situ Jian to deceive me. What are you really after?”
When Situ Jian saw Wen Jingshu looking like a startled bird, he seemed to see once more the young girl from years ago, sitting in a wheelchair and frowning as she looked at him.
“It seems you truly are a noble who forgets easily.” Situ Jian spoke softly. “Then again, in your eyes, I died a long time ago. How could a dead man possibly appear alive before you?”
“Back then, you and Fu Ge—the two of you. One of you used a forbidden bloodline art to gather the bloodline power of every member of the Wen family in Wen Town into a single place. The other followed behind, delivering the final blows to every outsider in the town. Not a single living creature was allowed to leave alive.”
“One of you stepped over the flesh and blood of your own elder sister to become the Murong family’s live-in son-in-law. The other personally drained the bloodlines of his own elder brother and sister-in-law, transforming them into your own power.”
“Six thousand three hundred and fifty-two people in Wen Town—every man, woman, and child. There was even a child in its mother’s womb, though no one knew whether it was a younger brother or sister. Not one of them lived to see the sun rise the next day.”
“You hacked at me more than a dozen times before throwing me onto the bones of those townspeople. You must have thought I was certainly dead.”
With every word, the demonic aura concealed within Situ Jian surged out uncontrollably.
“I didn’t die!”
“I came back alive, Aunt.”
