Chapter 108: Long Ago

As the half of a Demon Seed brought by Sword Venerable Meixi was cast into the Demon-Slaying Grand Array, Tang Ji’s racing heart finally settled. No matter what happened next, peace was secured for the time being.

“It had to be you, Junior Brother Mei.”

Sword Venerable Meixi’s brow twitched. “Senior Brother Tang, actually, I don’t have to be Junior Brother Mei.” It was bad enough that Gu Wufang of Yonglu Mountain called him “Mei,” but his own senior brother kept deliberately getting it wrong. He suspected that no one in the cultivation world even knew his real name anymore.

Tang Ji waved his hand. “That’s not the point. It’s enough that your sword is named Mei, right, Junior Brother Shen Yue?”

Indeed, Sword Venerable Meixi was named Shen Yue; his name had absolutely nothing to do with “Mei.” However, as his cultivation rose and his lifelong reputation as a genius grew, the vast majority of his peers had to address him as Venerable or Sword Venerable. Hearing the name “Shen Yue” suddenly spoken by someone else felt quite strange even to him.

“Actually, this half of a Demon Seed was obtained like this,” Sword Venerable Meixi said, briefly summarizing the dramatic sequence of events where he had stepped in to right a wrong, only to reap an unexpected harvest.

Hearing this, Tang Ji’s brow twitched. “So, this matter really is related to the Tianji Pavilion.”

“Most likely. I must trouble you to handle the rest, Senior Brother.”

Bah, being a sect master means a life of constant toil, Tang Ji thought, casting a jealous glance at his junior brother. If possible, he would love to be the sect’s mascot instead. Speaking of mascots, “Are you sure the Little Martial Uncle of Yonglu Mountain can crush a Demon Seed with his bare hands? If you told that to a three-year-old child, they wouldn’t believe you. But I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this, Junior Brother.”

“It’s true, absolutely true,” Sword Venerable Meixi said, then added, “And he wasn’t affected by the Demon Seed at all. Before leaving, I used the excuse of giving him lightning talismans to test him. He was surrounded by a pure, clear aura, without a single trace of demonic corruption.” Because he practiced lightning arts, his spiritual energy was inevitably stained with the power of purple lightning. It was absolutely impossible for a Qi Refining Stage cultivator to disguise themselves before him, which was why he had left so decisively.

Tang Ji looked up, his gaze distant. “If you said anyone else was this special, I would have my doubts. But this boy… actually resembles you in your younger years.”

Shen Yue was slightly surprised. “How so?” He certainly hadn’t been as good-looking as that kid back then.

“He also received the Shattering Heaven Sword Light.”

“What? Then why didn’t you…” Sword Venerable Meixi suddenly remembered that this promising talent was the disciple of the Dragon Venerable. Ah, no wonder. His senior brother must have had the desire but lacked the courage.

“Junior Brother, your senior brother has it hard too,” Tang Ji complained. After venting his grievances, he finally brought the topic back. “However, for Venerable Chengwei to look upon him favorably and take him as a disciple, he must have some extraordinary qualities. Aside from his natural talent, his fate must be somewhat unusual. After all, ordinary cultivators have no need to keep their eyes sealed.”

“Is he truly blind?”

“Who knows? Perhaps the Dragon Venerable thought it best for him not to see. For a cultivator, what the eyes can see is actually very limited.” Tang Ji brushed his sleeves. “Let’s go. The people of Sifang City are still waiting to return. Since you’re back, once the Demon Seed in the Demon-Slaying Grand Array is dissolved, you can use your sword Qi to cleanse the entire city. That way, the citizens can return home early.”

As for Nanfeng City and the Tianji Pavilion, let the Hehe Sect deal with that headache.

Sect Master Ding Jieyou of the Hehe Sect was indeed having a headache over negotiating with the Tianji Pavilion. The Tianji Pavilion held an extraordinary status; any misstep would inevitably destabilize the continent. Thus, even though he had no wish to take the initiative, he had to personally make a trip to Tianji Mountain.

Yet, just as he arrived at Tianji Mountain with his people, he heard the tolling of a funeral bell from the mountain.

Exactly nine tolls, no more, no less. And nine tolls of the funeral bell meant…

Either the old Pavilion Master was gone, or the current Pavilion Master, Qin Guan, was gone. In any case, it was nothing good.

Once cultivators embarked on the path of cultivation, they became distinct from ordinary people, but before death, all living beings were equal. After a cultivator died, their soul would go straight to the Soul-Breaking Bridge^[1] without lingering in the mortal world. In fact, because a cultivator’s individual soul strength was too powerful, the Heavenly Dao would force them directly into reincarnation, leaving no opportunity for their ghost to linger at the Soul-Breaking Bridge.

Even if one reached the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, at most it offered an alternative path of discarding the physical body to cultivate anew. If they truly died, even a Tribulation ancestor could only re-enter reincarnation and start life over. This was why cultivators were so obsessed with ascension.

One reason was the pursuit of power, and the other was that only through ascension could one escape reincarnation and attain the Great Dao of longevity.

Ding Jieyou quickly led his people to knock on the gates of Tianji Pavilion, and soon met Qin Guan.

Qin Guan was dressed plainly. The cultivation world did not usually hold funerals, but Tianji Pavilion was slightly different. Thus, after the funeral bell tolled, the disciples of Tianji Pavilion voluntarily changed into plain white robes. As the Pavilion Master, Qin Guan was no exception. “Sect Master Ding, you have arrived.”

“You don’t seem surprised by my arrival at all.” Ding Jieyou’s heart sank slightly. “How did the old Pavilion Master die?”

Qin Guan was a mild-mannered, middle-aged man who possessed very little presence. The old Pavilion Master had been famous far and wide in his day. After Qin Guan succeeded him, he mostly handled the tedious daily affairs of the pavilion. When it came to prestige, everyone still trusted the old Pavilion Master more.

However, the old Pavilion Master had been at the peak of Soul Transformation and had never been able to advance to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage. In fact, he had not appeared before the world for over five hundred years. Even when it came to taking on disciples, if Qin Guan hadn’t appeared with Xin Ci, the outside world would have known nothing about it.

“What did you say? You haven’t seen the old Pavilion Master in five hundred years either?” Ding Jieyou found it absurd. “Who do you think would believe that?”

As soon as he spoke, he finally realized. “So, what you mean is…”

Qin Guan nodded. “You’re right. My master… was murdered long ago.”

The inheritance of Tianji Pavilion was extremely demanding. It was not that the cultivation itself was difficult, but rather that it was highly selective. Those who could cultivate did so smoothly and effortlessly, while those who could not struggled to even enter the path. Because of this, the master-disciple lineage of Tianji Pavilion was the strictest. Qin Guan’s cultivation talent was not the best among his peers, but because he could practice the 《Nine Star-Gazing Arts》, he was able to become the Pavilion Master.

By the same logic, this was also why he had accepted Xin Ci’s appearance so quickly.

Although his disciple Song Zijing was exceptionally talented, he could not practice the 《Nine Star-Gazing Arts》. But Xin Ci could, which was why he had never suspected there was anything wrong with her identity. Qin Guan was skilled in divination, but he never divined his own fate, as that was a taboo for diviners. Yet, if he had known things would turn out like this, he would not have hesitated to perform a divination for himself.

Ding Jieyou was not satisfied with Qin Guan’s answer. “Then can you tell me exactly how the old Pavilion Master was killed? Who killed him? Or was he already deeply consumed by his inner demons?”

Qin Guan fell silent for a moment, then simply took a half-step back. “No matter what I say, you probably won’t believe me. Just follow me, then. I will take you to see my master’s remains.”

Remains, not a corpse. It seemed he had been dead for a very long time. Thinking of the rumors that had come from Tianji Pavilion in recent years, Ding Jieyou felt his mood grow even worse.

Upon examination, the old Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion had shown no signs of demonic corruption before his death, and there was no demonic or evil energy within the sect. However, with Tianji Pavilion suffering such a scandal, its vitality would inevitably be severely damaged in the short term.

It was just like the Tianren Sect of the past. Several of its great experts had been involved in scandals, causing the sect’s reputation to plummet. The great experts of the Tianren Sect had left en masse, and the remaining disciples were merged into the Hehe Sect. After fading into obscurity for over a thousand years, it had finally vanished into history.

The demonic corruption incident in Sifang City seemed more like the work of someone behind the scenes who could not bear to see the cultivation world at peace, maliciously orchestrating such a heinous event. It was warning them that demons were about to return to the human realm.

**

When the news that the old Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion had long since died reached Yonglu Mountain, Gu Wufang had barely sat down before he had to set off for Tianji Pavilion again without a moment’s rest, not even having time to grab a sip of water. The incense he had burned at Foguang Temple on New Year’s Day this year had truly been utterly useless.

While Gu Wufang led his people away from Yonglu Mountain in a huff, Wen Xu was already breathing in the long-lost, chilly air of Guochun Peak.

Although the air of the Suitian Sword Sect was also very cold, Guochun Peak was indeed much more comfortable.

“Ah Xu, you’re finally here! I missed you so much. Huh? You’ve advanced again. It seems going out to play really can change one’s state of mind. Am I right? Your master is always right. Why do you smell like…”

Wen Xu quickly sniffed himself. Surely not. He had already had Chunzhou boil three large tubs of hot water for him to bathe, and had even rinsed himself with Feichun grass (similar to pomelo leaves). There shouldn’t be any of that smell left. Ugh, he couldn’t think about it.

“You carry the scent of that fellow Wushan. What good treasures did he give you?”

Oh, that. Wen Xu’s heart settled, and he recounted everything he had seen and heard at the Five Sects Conference.

Venerable Chengwei glanced at the small jade bottle containing the secret realm hanging from his young disciple’s chest, feeling rather sour. “He’s quite generous to you. I don’t recall him giving me seven or eight treasures back in the day. As expected, one only sees the new favorite smile, while the old dragon is left to weep^[2].”

Wen Xu: “…I will work hard in the future and give Master one every year.” He would put the secret realm creation course on his schedule as soon as he got back.

“Really? How could I accept that?” Venerable Chengwei immediately cheered up, but his tone quickly turned serious. “Ah Xu, I heard you encountered a demon.”

Wen Xu didn’t know what he had encountered either. “Was that a demon?”

“When a cultivator falls into demonhood, they become a vessel consumed by the urge to slaughter. But demons are ultimate evil. They excel at bewitching, tempting, polluting, and eroding all sentient things; nothing is safe from them.”

Wen Xu spread his hands, the sticky, disgusting sensation rising in his chest right on cue. “Then why did I…”

Chengwei toyed with the bottles of spiritual wine his young disciple had just placed on the table. Ah, he could not wait to taste them. “Ah Xu, you’re so smart. Haven’t you already guessed it?”

“Is it truly because of my fate?”

“Yes and no. Once cultivators embark on the Dao, they all learn a saying: ‘Heaven and Earth are ruthless; they treat all things as straw dogs^[3].’ That is true, but even straw dogs have differences in status.” Venerable Chengwei’s presence suddenly became ethereal, his tone carrying an emotion Wen Xu could not quite decipher. “The world says that everyone is equal in the face of death, but that is a complete lie from the very beginning. The death of an emperor can affect the survival of millions. You possess the Emperor Fate, but it is deeply suppressed, which is the only reason you were able to enter cultivation. Ah Xu, you are poised on a very delicate balance.”

Wen Xu was silent for a long moment. “If I sever my ties to the mortal world in the future, will my fate change?”

“Who knows? Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Although I have some unique abilities, I am not omniscient. Ah Xu, you think too highly of me.” If he really knew everything, he would have ascended to immortality long ago.

“Then why did you say ‘yes and no’?”

“Because, of course…” Venerable Chengwei suddenly lowered his eyes, meeting his disciple’s slightly vacant gaze. It seemed the boy still could not see anyone’s face clearly. “Ah Xu, do not deny your own efforts.”

“Aside from your own fate, your own resolve is also working hard to resist the demon’s intrusion. Ah Xu, you must remember one thing: human effort can achieve anything. There is nothing in this world that is truly impossible.”

Wen Xu’s eyes widened. He still could not see his master’s face clearly, but at this moment, the strength and handsomeness the world spoke of suddenly took concrete form before his eyes. He thought to himself that his master must possess an incredibly powerful Dao Heart.

“Your disciple will keep Master’s teachings in mind.”

Venerable Chengwei knew his young disciple had taken it to heart, so he instantly switched back to his lazy state. “As for the appearance of the Demon Seed and the death of that old codger from Tianji Pavilion, there is no need for a kid like you to worry about such messy matters. The world is full of troubles. If it doesn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow. In the millions of years of the Hengze Continent, all kinds of demons and evils have appeared in droves. It’s not like I haven’t encountered them. Just keep a calm mind. If humanity is wiped out, you can always go back to the Mortal Realm to hide, right?”

Wen Xu: “…Master, you really didn’t need to say that last part.”

“Aiya, I was just joking. You didn’t actually take it seriously, did you?” Venerable Chengwei waved his hand, satisfied to see his disciple’s expression change. “Go on, go on. Look at all your injuries, go rest well. Oh, by the way, that rule about not being allowed into Juyong Hall didn’t pass. Every year on New Year’s Day, Ah Xu can still go with friends…”

Hearing this, Wen Xu turned and left without the slightest hesitation.