Very soon, after the Sword Spirit finished modifying him, a young cultivator wearing half a mask appeared within the Asking Heaven Sect.
He wore blue robes, and wherever Shu Xin went, he followed. He still looked somewhat dull-witted.
However, after testing him, Shu Xin found that Wen Jingzhi might be a little clumsier than before, but he was far more capable in a fight. An ordinary cultivator in the Wugou Realm would probably find it difficult to gain any advantage against him.
The Sword Spirit began urging Shu Xin to work even harder.
“Look at you. You kept putting things off, and now others have overtaken you.”
Shu Xin dug at his ear. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I have a feeling I’ll be advancing to the Wugou Realm very soon. I estimate it’ll happen within the next year or so. I’ll go check on my master’s progress first.”
Before the Sword Spirit could continue nagging, Shu Xin immediately ran off, with Wen Jingzhi close behind.
The place where Xu Guan was meditating in seclusion was guarded by the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book.
Shu Xin did not approach too closely. Instead, he stopped outside the safe zone marked out by the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book.
After all, Wen Jingzhi was still following behind him. If he got too close and the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book misunderstood the situation, it would be troublesome.
“Senior Book Spirit, is my master doing all right?” Shu Xin asked.
【He is currently undergoing the Three Winds and Four Fires tribulation. Only after he finishes will the heavenly tribulation descend.】The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book manifested a line of writing in the air. 【There is not enough spiritual energy. What he needs is more resources.】
“I do have quite a few spirit stones,” Shu Xin replied. “If you need them, I’ll go bring them over right now.”
【Spirit stones contain too little spiritual energy. I have already released the spiritual ley line sealed beneath the Asking Heaven Sect.】The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book continued writing. 【If that is still insufficient, you can use the spiritual energy contained within my true body. We spirits of immortal artifacts are the finest supplements.】
The Asking Heaven Sect naturally had a spiritual ley line of its own.
It had merely been sealed because of Qin Rushan.
Even so, the Asking Heaven Sect’s pitifully small ley line was nowhere near enough to support a Mahayana cultivator.
When Master Yushan achieved the Mahayana stage, he had even absorbed the spiritual energy of the neighboring Asking Heaven Sect. That alone showed just how much spiritual energy was required to undergo the tribulation.
Even if Shu Xin brought out every treasure he possessed, to a Mahayana cultivator it would still amount to little more than a drop in the ocean.
But with the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book supplementing him, it would probably be just barely enough.
Shu Xin opened his mouth, but did not know what to say.
Spiritual resources were a problem faced by every cultivator.
Shu Xin was no exception.
“It’s just that, if you do this, Senior Book Spirit, I’m afraid you’ll…”
【There is no need to worry. We spirits of immortal artifacts have survived for more than ten thousand years and have long since become unafraid of death.】
Just listen to that. Listen to how well the Book Spirit put it!
Shu Xin glanced at his own Sword Spirit. He did not say a word, yet somehow it was as if he had said everything.
The Sword Spirit immediately flew into a rage.
【What do you mean by looking at me like that?】
【This Book Spirit doesn’t have many years left anyway. What’s wrong with choosing the manner of its own death and saying something noble while it’s at it?】
【I can say noble things too.】
【Wait, don’t leave!】
The Sword Spirit kept grumbling, while Shu Xin simply turned and walked away.
Now that he knew his master would still need some time before undergoing the tribulation, there was no need for him to hurry. He could take his time and have a little chat with the guests who had come next.
“Jingzhi, let’s go.”
Wen Jingzhi obediently followed him.
The Sword Spirit was so furious that, unable to find anywhere else to vent its anger, it struck the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book with its sword body once more.
【From now on, leave this sort of righteous speech to me.】The Sword Spirit was extremely domineering.
The Book Spirit had no choice but to agree.
There really were a great many sects coming to cause trouble at the Asking Heaven Sect.
Shu Xin held his sword and quietly watched the cultivators who had arrived at the foot of the mountain, with the disguised Wen Jingzhi beside him.
People from the Myriad Dao Sect, the Carefree Dao Sect, and the Nine Heavens Dao Sect had all come.
There were also those hiding in the shadows, concealing their identities and refusing to show themselves. Aside from the demonic cultivators, they were probably accompanied by a few other “old acquaintances.”
Clearly, all of them had been stopped at the foot of the mountain by the measures arranged by the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book and the Sword Spirit.
Otherwise, why would they obediently wait here instead of forcing their way in and heading straight for the rear mountain to sabotage Xu Guan’s secluded cultivation?
The Sword Spirit specialized in offense, while the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book focused more on active defense.
Unless a Mahayana cultivator personally came, it would be extremely difficult to destroy the protections it had laid down by force in a short period of time.
If Wugou Realm cultivators were the ones attacking, at least twenty or thirty of them would have to join forces and attack for three days and three nights before they could completely eliminate the defenses it had established.
Shu Xin was practically drooling at such an ability.
She loved this kind of impregnable fortress.
Unfortunately, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book did not have much power left. Every time it used such a method, it consumed more of its own spiritual essence, and each use reduced what remained. To ensure that Xu Guan could break through successfully, it had directly emptied its reserves.
It was precisely because these defensive measures were so strange that the intruders did not dare act rashly.
There were roughly seven or eight Wugou Realm cultivators who had arrived openly.
There were at least as many lurking in the shadows.
Yet something peculiar happened. At first, there seemed to be no problem. But the moment they reached the stone stele marking the entrance to the Asking Heaven Sect, they discovered that the spiritual energy within their bodies was circulating several times more slowly than usual. Using spells or spiritual artifacts also consumed several times as much spiritual energy as before.
In other words, they had to expend several times the usual strength to accomplish something normally trivial.
A cultivator in the Wugou Realm could, at most, display the power of the Grotto-Heaven Realm.
Such a restrictive defensive method was simply unheard of!
Within the Asking Heaven Sect, the only one capable of such a feat was the legendary Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book.
People always said that the spirit of an immortal artifact was comparable to an earthly immortal. Before this, they had never truly understood what that meant. Now that they had experienced it personally, they finally realized how formidable it was.
If this had been the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, they would have immediately stormed in the moment they learned that its Mahayana cultivator was nearing death.
But this was the Asking Heaven Sect. Before the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book completely perished, they could do no more than cause some damage and interfere with the sect. They were incapable of directly charging in to destroy the sect and wipe out its people.
Some sects appeared glorious beyond compare, yet possessed nothing more than a beautiful exterior that could be pierced with a single jab.
Other sects, though so poor that they had only one small mountain left, possessed foundations deep enough to endure for ten thousand years.
Who could truly make sense of the affairs of the cultivation world?
White Crane Dao Lord glanced at his disciple, who had been grinning foolishly the entire way, and a shadow of worry settled over his heart.
With such confidence behind the Asking Heaven Sect, they likely would not meekly comply with his wishes.
Among the sects that had come to the Asking Heaven Sect this time, several had the same idea. They had also brought along their own outstanding male disciples, intending to break through Shu Xin’s defenses and look for an opportunity.
At this moment, in Shu Xin’s eyes, these people were probably no different from the tigers, leopards, and jackals lurking in the mountains.
With a distant smile on his face, Shu Xin cupped his hands toward the crowd.
“I am Shu Xin of the Asking Heaven Sect. It is truly discourteous of us not to have welcomed our honored guests properly. Please forgive our lack of hospitality.”
Qu Yougu looked at Shu Xin’s smiling face. For some reason, the tips of his ears reddened, and he did not quite dare meet her eyes.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, I never expected we would meet again after parting ways for so long.” White Crane Dao Lord stepped forward with a smile.
“You’ve had a hard time too, Dao Lord,” Shu Xin replied with a smile that did not reach her eyes. “You only just finished dealing with the affairs of the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, and now you’ve come all the way here. You haven’t had a moment to rest in between.”
Can’t he do anything for himself at his age? He spends every day running errands for the sect.
White Crane Dao Lord looked a little embarrassed. “I am old, and my cultivation is barely passable. Naturally, I must do my part for the sect.”
Among the people of the Formless Lineage, he was the only one they could truly rely on. If he wanted to pave the way for Qu Yougu, he naturally had to establish a few accomplishments that could stand up to scrutiny.
“The other Dao Lords look rather familiar as well,” Shu Xin continued.
Upon hearing this, Elder Qu of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect also spoke up. “Fellow Daoist Shu, let’s be frank. Everyone who came this time has either met you before or has some connection with you. This also represents our sects’ stance: we do not wish to fall out with the Seeking Gods Sect.”
They had offered courtesy before force. In truth, they were giving the Seeking Gods Sect plenty of face.
“Why go to such lengths?” Now that everything had been laid bare, Shu Xin no longer bothered beating around the bush. “My master is in seclusion, and Senior Book Spirit is protecting him with the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book. Breaking through Senior Book Spirit’s defenses would be harder than ascending to the heavens. The only thing you can do is interfere with my master’s state of mind, sabotage his breakthrough, and make an enemy of the Seeking Gods Sect for life.”
“But think about it carefully. Wouldn’t my master becoming a Mahayana cultivator be a good thing for all of you?” Shu Xin continued slowly. “The moment my master reaches the Mahayana Stage, the first thing he’ll do is go to the Longevity Dao Sect and kill that traitorous bastard Qin Rushan. When that happens, the Longevity Dao Sect will be the one with a headache. You’re all so far away from us that we can’t even touch one another. It won’t affect your interests in the slightest, so why wade into our muddy waters?”
As soon as she said this, Qin Rushan, who was hiding in the darkness, became so furious that his eyes reddened.
After hearing that Xu Guan was about to attempt the Mahayana Stage, he had been living in a state of constant dread.
He knew that this day would come, but he had never expected it to arrive so soon.
Qin Rushan had always believed that he would kill Xu Guan before Xu Guan reached a higher realm. He had never imagined that Xu Guan would attempt the Mahayana Stage so early—or that he would even trigger such an astonishing celestial phenomenon. That meant Xu Guan had a very high chance of successfully reaching the Mahayana Stage.
And if Xu Guan succeeded, Qin Rushan would definitely be the first person he came for.
Therefore, when Ning Weixuan came to him and offered to take him away, Qin Rushan agreed without the slightest hesitation.
He knew exactly why Ning Weixuan had come, and he also knew what he was going to do.
This was his only chance to save himself.
Now, hiding in the darkness with Ning Weixuan, Qin Rushan listened to Shu Xin speaking eloquently with those cultivators and looked at the Seeking Gods Sect, which had almost completely changed. His heart felt as though it were being cut by knives.
“What? Was she wrong?” Ning Weixuan stood with his hands behind his back and asked Qin Rushan.
Although Ning Weixuan hated the Mahayana cultivator behind Shu Xin—the one who had wounded him with a single sword—he rather admired Shu Xin herself.
A female disciple who had dismissed all her fellow disciples and guarded the mountain alone, facing cultivators from numerous major sects without the slightest trace of fear, advancing and retreating with perfect composure while still retaining an edge in her words—her performance was nearly flawless.
Among cultivators of the same generation, very few could have done as well.
If he had been able to recruit Shu Xin back then, she would certainly have brought him considerable benefits.
Unfortunately, she had ended up in the hands of the Seeking Gods Sect.
“She was absolutely right.” Qin Rushan’s gaze turned vicious, and his hatred deepened as he looked toward the gates of the Seeking Gods Sect.
If he had known that the sect possessed an artifact spirit like the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book, how could he have defected to the Longevity Dao Sect so easily?
It was clearly because his master had favored Xu Guan and deliberately concealed everything about the Book Spirit from him!
As long as he and Xu Guan stood together, everyone could see only Xu Guan.
But he was also a genius praised by everyone!
He had also cultivated step by step from childhood, struggling his way up through countless hardships.
This obsession had already taken root in Qin Rushan’s heart. If he could not cast it aside, he would never be able to stabilize his cultivation in the Immaculate Realm.
“Fellow Daoist Shu certainly has a point,” Elder Qu said with a smile. “That is also the position of our sect. As long as the Seeking Gods Sect is willing to lend us your sect’s Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book for us to study, I can come here to protect your sect during the tribulation. In addition, the Nine Heavens Dao Sect is willing to step forward as your guarantor and form an alliance with the Seeking Gods Sect. In the future, if any other sect makes an enemy of the Seeking Gods Sect, they will be making an enemy of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect as well.”
Elder Qu naturally had the confidence to make such a promise.
As a sword cultivator, his combat strength was among the best at his level. With him protecting the sect, it would be extremely difficult for the Immaculate Realm cultivators from the other sects to get past him and attack Xu Guan.
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect had clearly put considerable thought into sending him here.
Not to mention that the Nine Heavens Dao Sect was willing to form an equal alliance with the Seeking Gods Sect.
Those were indeed generous terms.
Anyone with sense could see that if Xu Guan reached the Mahayana Stage and had the Nine Heavens Dao Sect standing behind him, the Seeking Gods Sect’s return to prominence would be just around the corner.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book was powerful, but after estimating its remaining lifespan, the various sects believed that it probably did not have many years left. Once its spiritual energy vanished and it became an ordinary object, wouldn’t it be a win-win situation to lend it to the Nine Heavens Dao Sect for study?
Lend the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book to them for study?
What if they borrowed it and simply refused to return it?
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect certainly had some nerve.
Shu Xin was so angry that she nearly laughed.
“I’m sorry, Elder Qu, but Senior Book Spirit has a strong temper and dislikes moving around. I’m afraid it might not be accustomed to the geomantic aura of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect.” Shu Xin rejected him outright.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, don’t be so quick to make a final decision.” Elder Qu had never expected Shu Xin to agree immediately. “You can think over my proposal and give me an answer after some time.”
Xu Guan had not yet reached the critical point of undergoing his tribulation, so everyone was still watching from the sidelines. Naturally, no one would choose to make a move now.
But everyone knew perfectly well that a confrontation was inevitable.
The Seeking Gods Sect was isolated and without support. Even the Book Spirit could not hold back the combined forces of all these Daoist and demonic sects. When the time came, the Seeking Gods Sect would inevitably have to seek allies.
And the Nine Heavens Dao Sect was unquestionably the best choice.
“Fellow Daoist Shu, why don’t we do this? We’ll stay here at the Seeking Gods Sect for the time being,” Elder Liu of the Carefree Dao Sect suggested, stepping forward to smooth things over. “My disciples Ling Xin and Rongyun are already on their way here. When they arrive, you young people can catch up and discuss things properly. There’s no need to rush. Fellow Daoist Shu can also hear what the rest of us have to offer. Perhaps one of our conditions will appeal to you.”
“Talk about shameless. They actually want to rest inside the Wenshen Sect.”
The Sword Spirit sighed in amazement. “This is what I admire most about you humans. You’re clearly on the verge of crossing swords and fighting to the death, yet you still stand here making all these flowery, hypocritical pleasantries that nobody believes. Is this some kind of ritual?”
“Offer courtesy before resorting to force, so they can claim the moral high ground,” Shu Xin said disdainfully. “When they have the power to crush you, they won’t bother reasoning with you. Once they realize they’ll have to pay a price, they suddenly start talking about principles.”
If the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book weren’t here, would they still be speaking to her so politely?
Not a chance.
“I’m sorry.” Hugging her sword, Shu Xin directly refused Elder Liu. “The Wenshen Sect has been arranged with certain formations by Senior Book Spirit, so it’s truly inconvenient for all of you to enter. If you don’t mind, you can open up cave dwellings wherever you like at the foot of the mountain.”
She had no intention of playing host.
“Young people should still show some basic courtesy.”
A cultivator who had been hiding among the crowd—whose appearance gave no clue which sect he belonged to—stepped forward to cause trouble.
One person played the good cop while another played the bad cop. A timeworn trick.
Shu Xin paid him no attention and merely replied with a single word.
“Oh?”
The cultivator suddenly erupted into action, striking toward Shu Xin with his palm.
Yet the group of “great cultivators” from the Wugou Realm standing nearby seemed to be a beat too slow. They tried to intervene, only to realize that they were already too late.
Qu Yougu panicked and immediately reached for his sword, but White Crane Dao Lord caught him firmly by the wrist.
M- Master?
White Crane Dao Lord knew Qu Yougu would be unable to hold himself back, but this cultivator belonged to one of their affiliated sects and had been sent to test the waters.
He certainly would not truly kill Shu Xin. He merely wanted to test the Wenshen Sect’s defenses and see whether the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book still had enough strength to protect Shu Xin, thereby determining their current condition.
If not this test, then there would be another one. They could not avoid it forever.
The cultivator who had launched the sudden attack was, after all, a cultivator of the Wugou Realm. He also seemed to be carrying some sort of item that had weakened the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book’s influence over him. In that brief moment, he unleashed astonishing combat power.
These people had not been standing around doing nothing. They had already discussed several countermeasures.
By attacking now, they wanted to tell Shu Xin that even if they could not completely break through the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book’s defenses, they could still unleash tremendous power for a short time. The Wenshen Sect absolutely had no means of resisting them.
The best solution was to form an alliance with them.
Threats and inducements, courtesy before force—these were all tricks they had long grown accustomed to.
“Hey, you’ve got some nerve, attacking her right in front of me!”
The Sword Spirit instantly lost its temper and was about to leap from its sheath, ready to show them that the Wenshen Sect had more than just the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book to rely on.
However, someone moved even faster than it did.
Wen Jingzhi, who had been following quietly behind Shu Xin without making the slightest sound, suddenly appeared in front of her. He met the Wugou Realm elder’s palm with one of his own.
He had arrived without a sound, yet his speed surpassed the other man’s by far.
The powerful spiritual energy within the elder’s body began pouring endlessly into Wen Jingzhi’s palm.
“What… What are you?” The Wugou Realm elder could feel the spiritual energy in his body rapidly draining away. Even the protective treasures on him were quickly dimming, as though they had lost their former vitality.
The elder immediately retreated and pulled his hand back, only to discover that it had already begun to age rapidly. The flesh withered away, and the decay seemed to be spreading upward.
He decisively severed his own arm and swallowed another pill.
Only after his arm regenerated did he finally calm down.
The young cultivator extended one hand and stood firmly in front of everyone, refusing to let them come any closer.
That brief exchange was enough to draw everyone’s attention to the masked, slender young cultivator before them.
They had originally assumed he was merely a servant following behind Shu Xin.
But now that they looked more carefully, they realized that he was no servant at all. He was clearly a powerful cultivator in the late Wugou Realm! Moreover, he had caused their side to suffer such a huge loss at the very first meeting. He was most likely no unknown nobody. The deliberate concealment of his face was probably meant to prevent others from probing his identity.
Was this the Wenshen Sect’s trump card? Or had the Wenshen Sect reached an agreement with another sect, which had deliberately sent someone to protect them?
The crowd was surprised, but they no longer dared to act recklessly.
Qin Rushan hurriedly shook his head at Ning Weixuan. “I’ve never seen this person in the Wenshen Sect. The cultivation method he practices definitely isn’t one of ours, either.”
If such a strange cultivation method truly belonged to the Wenshen Sect, Qin Rushan could not possibly have been unaware of it.
Ning Weixuan’s brows drew tightly together.
Where had this newly emerged Wugou Realm cultivator come from?
It seemed that his plan to sneak in and sabotage Xu Guan’s tribulation had just become even more difficult.
“What kind of unorthodox technique is that?” the elder who had just recovered shouted angrily. “Does the Wenshen Sect dare to collude with demonic cultivators?”
“Elder, your words and actions make no sense,” Shu Xin said with a laugh. “Does anyone who defeats you automatically become a demonic cultivator? You attacked a disciple of the Wenshen Sect without so much as a word, right here on our territory. In any other sect, you’d be lucky if they only beat you to death. You’re just taking advantage of the fact that you think the Wenshen Sect has no one and deliberately bullying us.”
As she spoke, Shu Xin even squeezed out a few tears, looking rather aggrieved. “Sigh… My master hasn’t even reached the Mahayana stage yet, and I’m already being bullied like this. Once he prepares to undergo his tribulation, I’m afraid all of you will grind me down to dust.”
There was little the others could say to that.
They knew perfectly well that Shu Xin was deliberately saying those things to disgust them, but they were wary of the young cultivator in front of her and did not dare to make another move.
“Damn it, he actually let himself show off. Why didn’t you just let me take action?”
The Sword Spirit sounded sour.
“Jingzhi hasn’t recovered yet. He only stepped in because he wanted to protect me,” Shu Xin explained to the Sword Spirit. “Besides, if you act, there’ll be no way to resolve this peacefully. There are people hiding in the dark, waiting to see what happens. How could we draw a trump card like you so easily?”
“That’s right! I’m definitely supposed to make my entrance at the very end!”
The Sword Spirit was easy to placate. It glanced at the cultivators hiding in the darkness and estimated how much strength it could recover this time, then immediately grinned from ear to ear.
The more cultivators who came, the better. It would recover faster, and Shu Xin would feel more pressure, allowing her to break through to the Wugou Realm sooner.
Qu Yougu wanted to take a step forward and explain everything to Shu Xin.
But then the young cultivator standing before her turned around and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. Shu Xin allowed him to approach her, and the two of them appeared remarkably close.
“Thank you, Jingzhi,” Shu Xin said with a smile. Her little brother, whom she had raised herself, really was the best. He never forgot to take care of her when it mattered.
Raise a younger brother for a thousand days, and use him when the need arises.
Wen Jingzhi said nothing. He simply stood there in silence, shielding Shu Xin firmly behind him. The corner of his eye swept over Qu Yougu before he calmly turned his gaze away.
Across from them, Qu Yougu stood frozen as though struck by lightning.
